Welcome to our school newsletter - "your local school....our local community" 

Dear Parent and Carers,

I can’t believe spring vacation is here! 

Staff Updates

I’d like to extend a warm welcome to Ms Emily Gould who will be teaching Stage 1 Monkeys for the remainder of the year replacing Mrs Briana Bunston who has begun her maternity leave. Ms Gould taught Monkeys with Mrs Bunston last week and met many parents during Student Led Reporting.  I would like to wish Mrs Bunston all the best for her impending birth and can’t wait to have cuddle time.

Mrs Lisa Baxter and Mrs Belinda Fletcher will be sharing the Relieving Stage 1 Assistant Principal role for the remainder of the year.

Mr Sandro Fiora has been working at our school in the General Assistant role to support the wonderful work that Mr Gary Fletcher continues to do around our school. We welcome Sandro to the team.

It is lovely to see a former student return for work experience this week. Sebastien Baillon a Year 10 student was our vice-captain in 2021. Sebastien was surprised how much the school how changed since he left. 

Student Led Reporting

Thank you to the many parents who were able to come along to our student-led reporting last Friday morning. Student-led reporting is an approach where students take an active role in sharing their learning progress and achievements with their parents, and sometimes peers. Students reflect on their own work, set learning goals, and present their understanding of what they have learned. 

This process encourages students to take ownership of their learning, develop self-assessment skills, and communicate their strengths and areas for growth. Additionally, it helps build students’ confidence, responsibility, and engagement with their education. It also provides parents with a clearer understanding of their child’s learning from the student’s perspective.

Jump Rope for Heart

Thank you to Ms Sullivan for coordinating this worthwhile fundraising. So many beautiful stories of students using their initiative to raise money including Stage 1 and Early Stage 1 students selling home baked goodies at Morrison Bay Park. Congratulations to Oliver K, Charlotte and Leo S, and Annabel and Olivia P. Apparently, they sold out in 90 minutes and raised an additional $215 for the Heart Foundation. No one could resist their fabulous skipping and calls of 'bake sale, bake sale, come support the Heart Foundation!" Thank you, parents, for sharing your stories and supporting the cause. The students have absolutely loved the skipping, and the event provided another activity to keep our students active on the playground.

Gold recipients

Congratulations to the following students Samia I, Lucca W, Leanna F, Hudson KM, Mary P, and Amy H who recently earned a Gold award..This remarkable accomplishment is something the recipients can truly be proud of.

Updated School Website

I am pleased to announce that our updated website goes live today, thanks to the tireless efforts of Mrs Grainger. I sincerely appreciate her dedication and commitment in creating a high-quality platform that successfully highlights the outstanding achievements at Putney Public School. I have enjoyed collaborating with Mrs Grainger to ensure all necessary information required by the Department of Education is professionally presented. Her expertise in design has been invaluable in this process.

Revamped Putney Power Behaviour Expectations 

Putney Power Behaviour Expectations signage is being revamped. Mrs Grainger has used Canva to design the signs clearly stating our Putney Power Behaviour Expectations:

Be Safe

Be Respectful

Be Responsible

Be an Active Learner

The draft designs were presented to our student leaders, then tabled at last week’s SRC  meeting for appraisal. The SRC Counsellors suggested further areas around the school requiring signage and accepted the designs. Thank you to the P and C who will providing part funding for these resources.

Reflection and Action Days

This week our Stage teams have been given a half day from face-to-face teaching to complete data analysis and discuss implications for learning programs in Term 4. This opportunity provides valuable time for Stage teams to participate in rigorous discussion and share successes as well as collaboratively planning with colleagues to ensure success for all students.

Winners are Grinners

Congratulations to our Junior Girls Football team who won the Ryde Zone PSSA Jnr Girls’ Football Competition. They are a very competitive and determined team, thanks in part to our coaches Miss Scarcella and Mr Jose Bello. We are very proud of your achievement!

Summer PSSA sport competition continues tomorrow.

Comperes

I’m very proud of our Year 6 students Sarah-Jane F and Zachary H who were selected to be comperes at the State Music Festival Coorong Concert on Tuesday evening at the Sydney Town Hall. A wonderful experience for our Year 6 students. I’d like to thank Mrs Ignazzi for sourcing this opportunity and supporting our students to gain selection in this important role.

Sydney North Athletics Carnival

Congratulations to Eleanor F who represented the Ryde Zone PSSA at the Sydney North Regional Athletics Carnival. Eleanor made it through to the finals in the 8 years Girl’s 100m, ran an impressive personal best and was placed 5th in the finals. A huge achievement! 

Maintenance Work

The demountable classrooms have gone, and the area requires remediation. It has certainly opened the space, and our students are keen to reclaim the playing field. There will be new asphalt laid on parts of the Platypus playground in the holidays, bubblers and taps removed and replaced with water station, which is exciting!!

Site preparation will begin near J Block for work on the lift tomorrow, Friday 26th September and continue in the holidays and next term. Thank you for your support whilst the building works take place.

Spring Break

I’d like to wish our students and families a restful break over the holiday period. I would like to extend a fond farewell to some families who are relocating overseas and to other suburbs. I’d like to wish all the students leaving the best for their future educational journey.

Term 4 Dates

Staff Development Day (SDD) Monday 13th October 

Students return to school Tuesday 14th October

I’m looking forward to the warmer weather and relaxing with a good book! Hope you find time to read and recharge!

Mrs Brooks

Principal

Understanding Our School’s Resilience Data (part 2)

Recently, students in Years 3–6 participated in the Resilient Youth Australia survey, which helps us better understand the wellbeing and resilience of our school community. The Resilience Score Report was shared last fortnight as one part of the survey and we share with you here the Healthy Mind Score and the Ready to Learn Score.

Our Healthy Mind data shows:

• 11% Anxious – These children are feeling worried or nervous at times, which can make learning and daily activities more challenging.

• 18% Anxious and Depressed – These children are experiencing both worries and low moods, which may make it harder for them to feel positive and engaged.

• 62% Healthy Minded – Most children are feeling positive and balanced, showing resilience and the ability to manage everyday ups and downs.

• 9% Depressed – These children are feeling low or down, which may affect their motivation and overall wellbeing.

Our Ready to Learn data shows:

• 12% Anxious – These children are feeling worried or unsettled, which can make it harder for them to focus fully on learning. We support students with strategies to build confidence and a sense of calm at school.

• 17% Anxious and Disengaged – These children are experiencing both worries and a lack of connection to their learning, which may make school feel challenging. We work closely with students to rebuild engagement and provide reassurance.

• 53% Ready to Learn – Over half of our students are coming to school feeling positive, focused, and prepared to engage in their learning. We celebrate this and encourage students to keep building on these strong foundations.

• 18% Disengaged – These children are not feeling connected to their learning at the moment, which may affect their motivation and participation. We provide support and opportunities to re-engage students in meaningful and enjoyable ways.

As a school, we use this information to guide the support we provide—whether that’s building confidence, offering reassurance, or finding ways to re-engage learners through meaningful and enjoyable activities. Together with families, we aim to ensure every child feels supported, connected, and ready to thrive in their learning.

Mrs Martin & Ms Sullivan

School photos

 School photo day is in week 2, Term 4 on Wednesday 22nd October. Please refer to the flyer for the school code and instructions on how to order your photos. 

Class photos, individual and sibling photos will be on Wednesday 22nd October.

Sports photos in PSSA uniforms will be on Thursday 23rd October.

Stage 1 History

Stage 1 students have been enjoying a selection of myths and legends, including the story of ‘Arachne the Weaver’. After discussing the tale, the students had the opportunity to try their hand at weaving.

Mrs Fowler

Art work by Seals

The Seals class recently created beautiful ‘Spring Flowers’. They explored artworks by Kristina Forrest Creative, focusing on colour, design, and patterns. Inspired by these pieces, the students then coloured and decorated their own artwork.

Mrs Fowler

Disco

What a night! Our disco last week was full of music, dancing, and plenty of glow. Thanks to our little party animals (and the last minute addition of slushies), we raised $1,490 from ticket sales to put back into resources to support our kids and teachers.

The slushie machine made a stunning debut with Una "the perfect pour" Forstinger in charge. It alone made almost $600! Between the slushies and the glam station Year 6 made $868.90. Impressive night's work, team! 

A massive thank you goes out to our wonderful volunteers who helped on the night, from running the glam station to supervising the dance floor, and to our dedicated teachers who joined the fun and kept the kids safe. Special mention to Disco Bree who (as always) ensured the night ran smoothly, to Julie Fowler who supplied fistfuls of glow sticks amongst clouds of hairspray and especially to Joel Perik who swept in to rescue the DJ's blushes when his speaker got the yips on what was clearly the most important gig of his life.

See you at the next one!

*Note to our awesome readers: this next section is the same as last newsletter. That does not mean you should not read it, let it sink in (particularly the part about no canteen) and have a think about how you can help. Please encourage others to do the same. Other people are not coming forward, we need you.

Our current and amazing P&C Exec Committee will be stepping down at the end of their term, and a new Committee will be elected at the AGM.

This is a fantastic opportunity for parents, carers, grandparents and local citizens to get involved, have a say in our school community, and help shape the future for our children.

The P&C raises thousands of dollars per year for the school to purchase fundamental items for our children's learning including laptops, ipads and classroom supplies. It also runs the canteen and the Second Hand Uniform Shop as well as events such as the disco and Mothers/Fathers Day stall and breakfast. We can’t continue this important work without community members stepping forward. You don’t need to have children at the school to join – just a willingness to contribute to the success of our students and community. We are looking for nominations for all roles, in particular the Treasurer role.

Why nominate to be on the P&C Committee?

• Be part of decisions that directly benefit students

• Contribute to school initiatives, events, and fundraising

• Build connections with other families and staff

• Develop new skills in leadership, teamwork, and community engagement

 Committee Roles Available

If you're considering stepping up to one of these roles but have questions/concerns please email info@putneypc.org.au.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. The canteen, SHU and any events listed in this newsletter section cannot run without a P&C. There are many different jobs which can be done with many different time commitments in many different locations. We know it looks scary. We know it's hard when you work full time. The more people we have the easier everything is. 

The exec team is stepping down but we are not leaving the school. We will be available for a handover, transition period and ongoing support.

Canteen

As always, any questions or feedback concerning the canteen can be emailed to canteen@putneypc.org.au.

Sausage Sizzle

Tizzy's traditional end of term sausage sizzle is back this Friday. The theme is spring so all frozen juices will be yellow and green. A no food colouring option is available as are gluten free bread, halal sausages and vegan sausages

Slushie Machine

It has arrived and it is beautiful! Slushies will be available every day in term 4.

Term 4 (Summer) Menu

We’re waving goodbye to our cosy Winter Menu (so long hot choccy and warm soup) and saying a sunny hello to our Summer Menu! Fresh, cool, and tasty treats are on the way to help everyone beat the heat - slushies might be the headline act but don't worry we have plenty more waiting in the wings.

Halloween

Something wickedly delicious is brewing… Halloween treats are creeping their way into the canteen soon! Keep your eyes peeled (not literally!) for some spooky-fun snacks and ghoulish goodies.

Reece

Shoutout to Reece at Gladesville who gave us a heavily discounted tap to install into the canteen. Tizzy is in love and has declared you must have a "tap licence" to even go near that sink. Guess she's doing all the washing up then!!

Second Hand Uniform Stall

The SHU stall last week was a smashing success as it always is. The stall raised $777.50 but more importantly allowed everyone to stock up on the summer uniform and finally get around to replacing those lost jumpers which never did find their way back.

A huge massive amazing thanks to everyone who helped on the day led very capably by Sarah and Collette. We are so lucky to have those ladies in charge of the SHU - what a service!

We need you!

We work hard to raise funds, and we’d much rather spend every cent on our kids and teachers than on the boring stuff! That’s why this board is here - to let our school community know what we actually need. With your help, we can save some dollars at little to no cost to you. Thanks in advance for keeping our wallets - and spirits - happy!