Principal’s News

Infants Choir

Last Friday the Infants choir led by the talented Mrs Foster and

accompanied on the piano by Rachel Kelly, performed at our K-2

assembly. The children sang beautifully and their performance was

exceptional. The audience were treated to a range of songs which were

fun and exciting. It was a magnificent and entertaining concert; a credit

to the students and Mrs Foster given the children’s young age. I’d like

to thank Mrs Foster for her continued commitment to coaching our

infant’s choir and for preparing the children so beautifully for their

concert.

RSPCA Fundraiser

Last Thursday PPS held a mufti-day gold coin donation fundraiser in support of the RSPCA. The students got into the spirit

of the fundraiser and there were some interesting animal related costumes. Importantly much needed funds were raised

($896.00) which will assist the RSPCA in continuing to do the valuable work they perform in the area of animal welfare. I’d

like to thank our school community for their support.

Wednesday, 4 December Term 4, Week 8

DATES TO REMEMBER

LAST DAY OF OPERATION FOR CANTEEN IS FRIDAY 13 DECEMBER 2019

04 December Fellowship and Prayer supper TONIGHT at 7.30pm – 1b Beechworth Rd, Pymble

08 December End of Year Carols Night – 4-6pm on School Oval

10 December Junior Dance – Year 3&4, 6-8pm under School Cola

11 December Christmas Scripture Service – 9am in school hall

11 December Year 6 Farewell – Years 5&6, 6-9pm, Asquith Golf Club

12 December Farewell for Mrs Thomson at 2.30pm on the Netball Court – parents welcome

13 December Presentation Day – Years K-2, 9.15am in School Hall

16 December Presentation Day – Years 3&4, 9am in School Hall

16 December Presentation Day – Years 5&6, 11am in School Hall

17 December End of Year Picnic Day – Years K-5, Winnererremy Bay, Mona Vale

18 December Last day of school and Yr 6 Farewell Assembly – 1.30pm in School Hall, 2.15pm Yr 6 Leavers Walk out

TERM DATES 2019 Term 4 Monday 14 October – Wednesday 18 December

Night of Stars

Last Tuesday night PPS hosted our annual ‘Night of Stars’ concert. It is an apt title as we had a range of talent and many

‘stars’ on show. The students who performed were outstanding and demonstrates the strength of our creative and performing

arts programs at PPS. From our singers to our public speakers to our dancers to our actors, every student performed well

and had a great time. The children had a good time and our audience was treated to a truly spectacular concert. I’d like to

thank all the teachers involved with the various groups as well as the teachers who assisted on the night for their commitment

and hard work.

CCA Student Leadership Summit

Last week our newly elected 2020 student leaders attended the City Country Alliance Student Leadership Summit held at the

Collaroy Centre. Some 130 students from city and remote rural school across NSW attended the camp. The students had

the opportunity to meet children from a range of communities and listen to their stories. Many of the participating students

come from drought affected areas as well as culturally diverse communities. The students participated in leadership building

activities and workshops, including a workshop presented by Christina Arnu. On the third day the children visited the

synagogue and Lakemba Mosque and enjoyed a traditional Lebanese dinner at Greenacre PS. Our 12 student leaders had

an awesome time and a unique experience which they will share with their peers. Thank you to Miss Andrews and Mrs Baker

for attending this camp with the students.

Student Wellbeing

Sometimes events in the community can affect students and impact how they engage in their schooling.

It is important to know that support is available at and through the school in such a situation.

We will always encourage you to speak to your classroom teacher about how to access that help if you feel your child has

been affected and would benefit from some additional support.

The support options include our staff trained in student welfare, school counsellors, the expertise of Department staff who

work across schools, and contact with support agencies outside the Department.

Parent Grade Christmas Parties

During Term 4 parents host grade Christmas parent parties, coordinated by our P&C. These grade Christmas events provide

parents with an opportunity to enjoy each other’s company, make new friends and reflect on the year’s achievements. I’d like

to thank those parents who have generously opened their homes to host these events.

Leavers Note

To assist with our numbers for classes for next year, would parents of children (except for Year 6 students) who are NOT returning to PPS in 2020 please complete the PPS Leavers from and return to the School Office as soon as possible. The PPS Leavers form is attached to the Myalla or can be obtained at the front office,

Should you not be sure of your plans regarding your child/ren returning to PPS in 2020, please contact Mrs Doig or Mr Diodati. Your assistance with this matter is greatly appreciated.

Bruno Diodati Principal

NIGHT OF STARS AT PPS

Deputy Principal’s News

The end of the school year is fast approaching and planning for 2020 is underway. In the coming weeks, parents will receive

notification of important information pertaining to the start of the school year. In particular, families will be advised of book

requirements their child/ren will need for 2020 and will be required to order and pay for these online. Once purchased, these

packs will be delivered to the school and distributed to each student in their 2020 classes. We encourage all parents to check

this information carefully so that students have all they need to start off the 2020 school year.

This week, I had the pleasure of visiting 1C during a writing lesson. The students had to write a persuasive piece trying to

convince me to transform our school hall into a Ninja Warrior Obstacle Course. I would like to share a couple of pieces with

you to highlight the fabulous work being done in our classrooms.

Nicole Doig

Deputy Principal

Sport Report

State Athletics At the beginning of term 4, Hamish and Gemma competed at the State Athletics carnival. A massive congratulations to both of them who did exceeding well on the day!

Hamish placed 4th in the 1500m and 15th in the semi finals for the 100m. Gemma placed 5th in the 200m and 16th in the semi finals for the 100m.

Well done, Hamish and Gemma!

Swimming Swim and survive clothing

The children have been told that they need to bring the following items of clothing for their swim and survive lessons in weeks 8 & 9. These are in addition to their usual swimming gear.

Year 4 - Shorts (board shorts are suggested) and a T-shirt

Year 5 - Long pants and a long sleeved shirt

Year 6 - Long pants, a T-shirt and a jumper

Make up lessons - weeks 7, 8 & 9

Due to the recent poor weather, a number of swimming lessons have been cancelled. Please refer to the note sent home and School Stream message about the make up swimming lessons. Only some classes were affected.

Pip Hiley Sport Co-ordinator

Valid Science Testing

Towards the end of last term, for the first time at PPS, year 6 sat the VALID Science Test.

This test is available for all schools in NSW to take and the questions are directly linked with the new, 2018, Science and Technology Syllabus.

It is completed solely on line, which was also a first for PPS students, providing valuable experience for them as it is highly likely to become a form of assessment they will encounter in their high schools.

PPS achieved outstanding results outperforming SSSG ,(Statistically Similar School Group), schools and the state as a whole in 58 out of the 60 questions.

Additionally four of our students were placed in the top five places.

William P. 1st, 6P, Morgan D. 3rd 6P, Oliver M. 4th 6H Thomas P. 5th, 6H.

Congratulations to these four and the year 6 cohort, 2019, may they carry on their enthusiasm for science through into high school and beyond.

Hopefully achievement certificates will be received for each participant by the end of term. Mr Dormer Science Teacher

Library News

Any parents who still have books at home that are being covered, please bring to school by Friday, 6 December covered or not. Thank you.

The library has now closed for stocktake and all books are now overdue and need to be returned immediately. During the stocktake any books which have been shelved without the return being recorded by the computer will be located. Once we have completed the stocktake of the main library collections overdue notices will be run again. At this point any errors where books found their way into the library without being scanned will have been corrected. All children not returning next year must ensure that all their books have been returned to the library or paid for. All library books, including Home Readers and other class texts need to be returned and counted in the stocktake. If there is anyone who would like to assist with the library stocktake at any time during this week and next it would be greatly appreciated. Some parts of the stocktake are more physically demanding than others, but there is a range of tasks to be completed and all help is appreciated (with morning tea provided). The library monitors and volunteers we have had this year have worked very hard to help keep the library looking good for the children and I am very appreciative of all the time and effort that they have put in to helping make our library a great resource for all of the children.

Kathryn Harris

Teacher librarian

Lids for Kids

Did you know that you can’t recycle plastic bottle tops? However a charity in Victoria has come up with a solution! They use the plastic tops from milk and soda bottles to make prosthetic limbs for child amputees. At PPS, we’ve been collecting tops since Term 3 but we’d still like to collect a lot more!! If you’d like to help, please bring your plastic lids into school and drop them in the big yellow bin by Reception. We’ll be collecting until the last day of Term 4. We’d also like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has helped so far. Mr Sillato and Nate Tuck (4S)

LAST DAY OF OPERATION FOR CANTEEN IS FRIDAY 13 DECEMBER 2019

FLEXISCHOOLS WILL CLOSE THE SYSTEM AFTER THIS DATE AND BE AVAILABLE FOR

ODERING IN JANUARY FOR TERM 1/2020.

GOLD COIN DONATION FOR SCRIPTURE & ETHICS TEACHERS 2019

Please support our Scripture and Ethics teachers, who volunteer their time at PPS.

On Wednesday 11th December a combined Scripture Christmas Service will be held in the school hall from 9am. All

parents are welcome to attend.

At the conclusion of the combined Scripture Service, all Scripture and Ethics teachers will

receive a small gift as a thank you for their services.

Please bring a gold coin to school which will be collected by your class teacher on

Monday 9th December. Your generosity is appreciated.

Mrs Holbrook and Mrs Murphy Scripture Coordinators

Alinta – Uniform Shop Opening hours during holiday

Wednesday, January 22, 2020 8am-11am Thursday, January 23, 2020 12.30pm-3.30pm

Friday, January 24, 2020 8am-12pm

Monday, January 27, 2020 AUSTRALIA DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Tuesday, January 28, 2020 Back to School 8am-10am

Thursday, January 30, 2020 Regular Hours Resume 8.15am-10.30am

Become a catechist in 2020

We are in need of new scripture teachers. The following classes ARE without Catholic

SRE teachers in 2020:

• Turramurra Public School: Wednesday 9.15-9.45am AND 10.25-11.05am for Year 6

• Gordon West Public School: Wednesday 11.35-12.10pm for Kindy, Year 3 and Year 6

• West Pymble Public School: Wednesday 12.35-1.10pm for ALL YEAR GROUPS

• Pymble Public School: Wednesday 9.30am for Year 2 AND 9.30-10am Year 3 and Year 6.

• Turramurra High School: various days, times, and year groups.

Some of our classes are very large. Even those classes with SRE teachers could also

use an assistant. Can you help?

The original meaning of “catechist” is one who “echoes God’s word”, however catechists are much more than

that. Facilitating a child’s faith formation is a rewarding experience that does not require a teacher’s degree or an

advanced degree in theology: all it requires is enthusiasm, as well as generosity in sharing your time with others.

Classes are once a week and run for 30-35 minutes. Resources, lesson plans, teacher’s manuals, student

workbooks, support and training are provided free of charge. Please contact me at

Melanie@pymblecatholicparish.org.au for a commitment free discussion about how you can add value to our

community’s youth.

Instrumental Program

End of Year Carols Concert extravaganza is happening this weekend. We need as many of our awesome community to help out, please sign up when asked by your group parents.

Gates open at 5pm, Carols at 6pm.

Pulled Pork Rolls, Sausage Sizzle, Cake Stall, Christmas Hamper Raffle including goodies from Champ and Chief and Photos with Santa

VIP Seating Auction! Register your bid for the Gold and Silver Suites for the best seats overlooking the oval and a platter generously donated by Badass Boards

www.32auctions.com/PPSVIPSeating

Gold Coin donation entry donation to the Rural Fire Service

Dates for the diary

All Bands and String Groups – Sunday 8th December late afternoon, End of Year and Carols Concert. The whole school community is invited to enjoy an end of year Xmas celebration on the bottom oval at school. More details to follow

Junior Band – Monday 9 October, 4pm - Open rehearsal for parents

Performance Ensemble Sunday 15 December 6-7pm. One last blast concert to hear the full repertoire. In the school hall, bring your friends and family

Zannie Abbott 0418 274 291 Pymbleband@gmail.com

PPS Leavers

To assist with our numbers for classes next year, would all parents of

children who are

NOT returning to PPS in 2020

Please advise the office as soon as possible.

This refers to all classes K-5 inclusive

Please complete and send to the office.

NAME:

_________________________________________________

CLASS:

__________________________________________________

INTENDED SCHOOL:

_________________________________________________

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 2019, 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 2019

Term 4 Dates

Friday 6 December 8.30am

Prayer Group

FRENCH CLASS IN 2020

Inspiring a love of languages? To register your interest for the French Class at PPS on Tuesdays after school.

in 2020, please email enquiries@thelanguagecompany.com.au by 20 December 2019. Places are limited.

First in best dressed!

Merci et Joyeux Noel 🎄

Christian Prayer Group will meet every

Friday morning at 9.00am

If you have any enquiries, please contact Jackie Tham (jackietham@yahoo.com.au)

Community News

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 info@mccarthystudios.com.au

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.