Principal Address

Welcome back to Jasper Rd Public School. This year we moved into new classes in record time all students have commenced their studies, being provided exceptional programs by outstanding classroom practitioners.

I warmly welcome our new families and students including Kindergarten who join our school community. I know that you and your child will enjoy the school’s safe, caring learning environment, enriched with innovative programs.

Jasper Road provides a nurturing environment where the welfare of students and their families is paramount. The staff are committed to building self-esteem in students and, by working closely with parents and students, ensuring that both responsible behaviour and a strong sense of pride exist. Our staff will, at all times, provide your child(ren) with the most amazing educational opportunities.

We begin the year with a few new staff members joining the school. I would like to welcome Ashleigh McGee (Stage 1), Karina Berry (Stage 1), Chelsea Chon (Stage 3), Jessica Cathers, Vanessa Corti (SU) and Rylee Stafford. We are also very lucky to have Amanda Pena and Tamlyn Phillips as new staff based at our school. I trust you will welcome them all when given the opportunity.

WHO TO SEE

In 2025, Jasper Road’s Assistant Principals have direct responsibility for supporting and supervising our classes and student learning achievement. If you need to discuss issues concerning your child, please speak with your child’s class teacher in the first instance and then to the Stage Assistant Principal followed by the Deputy Principals.

Early Stage 1 – Deb Godfrey

Stage 1 – Tayla Beedham

Stage 2 – Kirrily Dunn

Stage 3 – Paul Marshall

Support Unit – Elisa Marquez

MEET THE TEACHER

All parents and family members are invited to attend our Meet the Teacher mornings, to be held in Week 5. During these sessions, teachers discuss teaching and learning programs and classroom structures. It is a fantastic opportunity to meet your child’s teacher and discuss any goals in an informal environment. If you would like to discuss health concerns or any matter could I please ask that you arrange an appointment to speak in more depth.

OPPORTUNITITES 

Starting from next week, students will have the opportunity to try out for a number of performance groups. To cater for the number of students at the school and promote participation, students will only be allowed to be involved in a maximum of two groups. Students should listen to teacher messages throughout the week as to when try outs will be held. This year’s groups are:

• Stage 1 Choir 

• Stage 2 Choir 

• Stage 3 Choir

• Early Stage 1 Dance 

• Stage 1 Dance

• Stage 2 Dance

• Stage 3 Dance

• Stage 2 and 3 Musical Theatre 

• Djembe Drumming.

At lunchtime, we will also be holding a number of interest groups for students to participate in. These are drop in, drop out activities with no permanent commitment necessary. These groups aim to build social skills and provide alternate activities for children to participate in. These groups will include Art Club, Code Club and Chess Club. More information regarding these will be released to students shortly. 

COMMUNITY USERS

Every year we support community users who hire our facilities to provide extra curriculum activities before and after school. I encourage the community to support these businesses if looking for out of hours activities for their child. 

PARENT DETAILS

The start of the new school year often brings changes to personal parent contact details. If you have recently changed phone number, address or email address, could you please change your details on the School Bytes app or complete a form at the office. It is essential that we have current contact details for our families in case of emergencies. 

ROAD SAFETY

I am sure that you would all agree that student safety around roads is critical. Could I please ask all families to follow the road rules at all times. I have been in contact with Hills Council who have committed to having a Ranger regularly visit the school. 

ATTENDANCE

It’s always wonderful to have our students in classrooms, ready to engage and learn. Our teachers and school staff are committed to fostering growth and opportunity, and we are here to work with you to support your child to reach their full potential.

Consistently going to school has countless benefits – from learning to creating social connections and improving wellbeing through access to support and quality education.

Students are required to attend school every day, whether it’s the first or last day of the term, Mondays, Fridays or days dedicated to sports carnivals, school excursions and incursions.

As we look ahead to the remainder of the school year, I’d like to remind our school community that we are here to work with you to support your child to thrive. We know that families experience a variety of challenging circumstances, and we are committed to working with you to address any barriers to regular attendance.

If your child is absent from school, please let us know why as soon as possible, even if it’s just a few minutes at the start or end of the school day. Of course, there will be times when your child is unable to be at school, like when they are unwell. Medical appointments should take place outside school hours where possible, and family holidays should be taken during term breaks.

If your child is feeling anxious about coming to school and you need support, please reach out to your child’s teacher or me directly. There are also helpful resources for parents and carers on the NSW Department of Education website.

Thank you for being a part of our school community and for partnering with us to ensure students access the endless benefits of regular school attendance.

SELECTIVE HIGH SCHOOL & OPPORTUNITY CLASSES

Applications for selective high school and opportunity class entry in 2026 CLOSE TODAY. There will be no late applications due to the longer application period, and the application closing date being closer to the test dates and logistical constraints around organising test centres and devices.

Parents and carers must apply online using the Selective high school and opportunity class placement application website.

This change to the application period means that parents and carers will now need to apply for opportunity class placement when their child is in Year 3 (or by the end of Week 4, Term 1 when their child is in Year 4). This change applies to students currently in Year 4. 

For selective high school placement, parents and carers will continue to apply when their child is in Year 5 and can now apply when their child is in year 6 until the end of Week 4, Term 1.

From 2025, the placement tests for selective high schools and opportunity classes will move from single version paper-based tests to computer-based tests.

UNIFORM

Throughout 2024, the school completed a review of the school uniform. This review included a community survey, parent discussions, staff survey and student collaboration. The uniform expectations for 2025 will be:

The school sports uniform may be worn at the following times: 

• Early Stage 1- Wednesday & Friday

• Stage 1 - Thursday & Friday

• Stage 2 & 3 – Class Sport Day and Friday

The Graduating Yr 6 cohort is also afforded the opportunity to purchase an end of year celebration polo. This may be worn on Wednesday each week. 

Jasper Road Public School has a tendered provider who is onsite during set and advertised dates. 

While this facility exists, as always, parents are also afforded the opportunity to source and purchase uniforms from external providers. 

Thank you in advance for supporting the high expectations of the community. 

Craig Warner

Principal

From the Deputies

Riding to and From School Safely

As students settle back into school for the year, we have noticed an increase in students now riding their bikes and scooters to school. This is wonderful as there are significant benefits to be gained from riding to and from school, including:

• reduced traffic: fewer cars on the road helps to ease congestion.

• lower carbon footprint: cycling is an eco-friendly alternative to driving.

• promotes physical activity: regular cycling keeps students active and healthy.

• facilitates road safety discussions: provides a chance for supervising adults to discuss road safety with their child.

Parents and carers are responsible for a student's travel to and from school. Once students arrive on school premises, the school assumes responsibility and duty of care for the student.

For primary-aged students, adult supervision while riding is recommended for their safety. Children under 16 are permitted to ride on the footpath unless prohibited by signage. All riders must keep to the left and give way to pedestrians.

Bikes are to be kept in good, safe working order, with brakes, reflectors and a bell. In accordance with NSW laws, all riders are to wear a correctly fitted and fastened helmet.

As students reach the school fencing and before entering the grounds they are required to dismount from their bicycles / scooters and walk with them whilst they are on site. When traveling along Jasper Road, all riders are expected to walk with their bike / scooter until after the car park gates. Bikes / Scooters are to be stored in the bike racks. Bicycles, scooters ad helmets are bought and stored on school grounds at the owner’s risk.

Please watch the video below with your child and discuss the key safety messages related to safe riding to and from school.

School Stages

From The Office

Each fortnight we will send you instructions or a link to a "How to" guide from School Bytes. This fortnight is all about how to set up parent portal;

Lost Property

After only three weeks there is already lost property in the school. These items include jumpers, hats, lunch boxes, plastic containers and water bottles. We ask all parents and carers to ensure that all items are labelled with your child’s name. Also, please encourage your child to search for their lost items in the lost property bin outside, near the sick bay entrance.

Sports News

PSSA 

Scholastic Bookclub 

Happy New School Year Everyone!

Scholastic BookClub - Issue 1 orders due by Sunday 23 February 2025

The first Book Club of the year is now out and went home in school bags last week.

You can access the online catalogue at the link below: 

How do you order?

The Book Club LOOP platform for parents allows you to pay by credit card. You can place your child’s order at the link below or using the LOOP app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.

Scholastic Rewards!

Did you know that every purchase you make on Book Club earns our school 15% of the order value in Scholastic Rewards? These have helped our school to purchase books and educational resources with the rewards.

Thank you,

Bookclub Co-ordinator

Canteen 

Canteen Payments

May we ask if you are paying cash for your child's order or sending spending money, where possible please send coins or smaller value notes. We have limited change available and struggle to change large notes of a morning.

FlexiSchools is a cashless option where canteen orders can be placed each day or even days/weeks in advance. This removes the worry of lost change or forgetting to hand in the order. Ordering can be done for any item on our menu including ice blocks.

If you have placed a recess order, please let your child/ren know to join the "Express Line" at the canteen to collect the order.

Lunch orders are delivered to the classroom, however, if you have ordered any of the following items, please ask your
child/ren to collect them from the "Express Line" at the canteen:

• Noodles

• Ice Blocks

• Jelly

Changes or Enquiries for Canteen Orders

Should you need to change or cancel your child's canteen order, we kindly request that instead of contacting the canteen or school directly, please reach out to our Healthy Canteens Office, where multiple staff members are available to assist you promptly. Contacting the school or canteen can disrupt lunch preparation and experience delays in communication.

Contact Details:

• Office Phone: 02 9836 2270 or 0405 219 242

• Timing: Please make any changes before 10:30 am.

SMS Service: You may also use our SMS service to cancel an order. Simply text us with the following details:

• School Name

• Child's Name & Class

We will process the cancellation and send you a confirmation SMS.

Important Note: We regret we are unable to hold orders. Instead, cancelled orders will result in funds returning to your FlexiSchools account. This policy ensures clarity, especially in cases of delayed student returns or changes in onsite staff.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. By following these guidelines, we aim to enhance efficiency and minimise disruptions for all involved parties. Should you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

P&C News

Welcome to the new school year from the JRPS P&C! We hope you have all had a relaxing school break and are ready for another exciting, and busy, year at Jasper Road.

Sending a special welcome to students and families joining our school this year. We look forward to meeting you all.

2025 will be a busy year for the P&C and we are calling out for families to join us and help make the year a successful one.

Event organisers/coordinators needed for 2025: To allow us to continue to hold events this year we need more volunteers to help organise events. We always work collaboratively as a team so you will never be alone. Please let us know if you have an interest in event coordination and are available to help.

Parent Volunteers at Events: We will also be needing parent volunteers to help at these events so keep an eye out for our 2025 event calendar and book the dates in your calendar for when you can volunteer. Parent volunteers are vital to the P&C providing these exciting opportunities for our students and to help raise funds for better facilities for the students and staff of JRPS.

Office bearers needed: The Jasper Road P&C farewelled many seasoned members at the end of 2024 and so has several Office Bearer and Executive positions vacant in our team. To remain active and viable we really need to fill these positions. Ever wondered how you can be more involved in your child’s school life and want to contribute to the fantastic JRPS community? Please reach out if you are interested in learning more about the following positions (no experience necessary):

- President

- Vice President

- Executive Member

P&C general meetings are held  2 to 3 times per term on Monday nights at 7pm in the staffroom and we welcome all parents. If you cannot make alternative arrangements for your children, they are welcome. Term 1 dates are Monday 24 February and Monday 17 March.

To stay up to date with all things P&C join our mailing list:

And if you have joined already – please check that our emails are not going to your junk mail folder; we’d hate for you to miss out on the latest news and opportunities.

Want to contact the P&C?

Email: info@jasperroadpandc.org 

To keep up to date with upcoming events please follow us on Facebook (simply search Jasper Road P&C)

Community News