Principal Address 

Schools are not about ranking systems but also about culture, community, wellbeing and extra-curriculum opportunities. It is, however, sometimes important to recognise and celebrate achievements.

On Wednesday 23 April, the Daily Telegraph in collaboration with Better Education released the school rankings for 2024. With nearly 2000 schools in NSW, I am extremely excited to announce that:

• For the first time ever, Jasper Road Public School was listed in the Top 100 schools in NSW at 87th.

• When compared against Government schools, the school was listed at 34th.

• When deducting ‘Opportunity Classes’, the school is listed 11th.

This is a fantastic achievement and highlights the explicit instruction and evidence-based programs that are implemented every day. It is a celebration of all stakeholders. I can proudly say that I lead “A great school, with great staff, great programs and great facilities”.

It has been a busy start to Term 2 with multiple events held with both students and the community over the past fortnight. Last week we held our school photos which continued into this week with group photos. All orders must be made online through Advanced Life.

Also this week we held our annual Muffins with Mums event. It was incredible to see so many mums, grandmothers and family members at the event. It has certainly grown into one of the largest events on our calendar and a true celebration of our fantastic community. A full gallery of photos will be available on our website early next week.

HOLIDAY WORKS

Over the holiday break, the school had multiple Assets projects completed. These were:

• New roofs, guttering, downpipes and drainage to A and B Blocks. This was a major undertaking but will lead into further school funded work to be    completed within the Jasper Quad.

• Painting to D Block toilet ceiling

• Landscaping outside the hall to repair and replace existing retaining walls

• New lighting outside Kindergarten.

• New cabinetry and sinks to four Stage 3 classrooms.

• Upgrades to plumbing in several areas of the school.

We continue to work with Assets to ensure a safe school with the best possible learning environment for students, staff and community.

ANZAC DAY

During the holiday break, our school leaders proudly represented the school and remembered our servicemen and women by laying a wreath at the Castle Hill RSL Dawn Service. Along with our own ANZAC Service, this dawn service is an important occasion in showing respect for those that have served our country. I thank Miss Walker and our leaders for their attendance.  

CALENDAR

While a full year calendar was distributed in Term 1, we wanted to again include it to ensure you have the most recent information and dates. I hope this finds a place in your home.

PARENT WORKSHOP      

Thank you to the parents that attended our first parent workshop last term held in collaboration with Heart of the Nation. It was great hearing from Greg Page about the success of the trial before learning important Life Saving Skills. Many parents even saw themselves on A Current Affair.

Our next parent workshop is just around the corner and will be held on Friday 30 May at 8am. During this session we will be talking all things assessment. Come along, learn about how we assess at Jasper Road. We will also be discussing NAPLAN including the 2025 and 2026 assessments.

STAR WARS DAY

On Monday morning we celebrated Star Wars Day with a visit from R2-D2. Our students were very excited to meet him as he drove around the playground at recess. After the break, students that attend our Coding and Robotics club had an up-close look at R2 and asked questions about its creation. They even learnt how they can make their own small-scale version.

Over the past week we have received hundreds of entries into our Star Wars competition. Congratulations to our winners that received a bounty of toys.

May the Force Be With You!        

Road Safety

Craig Warner
Principal

Deputy News 

Celebrating Term 1 Attendance!

We are thrilled to announce that our school community has shown outstanding commitment during Term 1, with 82% of our students achieving an attendance rate of 90% or above! This remarkable achievement highlights the dedication of our students and the support from families and staff in prioritising consistent attendance.

Regular attendance is crucial for academic success, and we commend our students for prioritising their learning by being present in the classroom. High attendance rates not only contribute to better educational outcomes but also enhance the overall school experience, allowing students to engage fully in classroom activities, collaborate with peers, and build strong relationships with their teachers. Let’s continue to build on this momentum in Term 2.

Thank you for your efforts and commitment to making our school a vibrant and active learning environment. Keep up the great work!

NSW Public School Student Survey

During Term 2, students in Years 3-6 will be participating in the NSW Public Schools Student Survey. The survey gives students the chance to share their thoughts and feelings about life at school, including questions about their engagement, learning experiences and wellbeing at school.

Hearing directly from our students will help us understand what’s working well and where improvements can be made to our school. The survey is confidential, takes around 10 to 15 minutes to complete, and will be conducted online during school hours.

If you prefer your child to not participate, please contact the office.

Muffins with Mums

It was wonderful to celebrate early with our mums Mother's Day. It was great to see so many mums attend our Muffins with Mums event. We hope you had a great time. 

Wishing you all a wonderful Mother's Day on Sunday.   

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 View or download student documents or school resources. 

Lost Property

After only two 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.

Over the holidays, our JRPS student’s were extremely busy reading, reading, reading. Prior to holidays, we had 65 students who had completed the challenge, which was wonderful, but now, we have 109. What an amazing jump in two weeks! We are well on our way to beating our record of 286 students. Keep up all the fantastic work everyone. But, don’t worry though if you have not completed the challenge yet. It runs to the August 22. A huge congratulations to the following students.

Keep reading,

Mrs Bugeja

Teacher Librarian

Support News 

Year 6 Writing Project 

At Jasper Road, various programs are run throughout the year to cater to the varied needs of our different students. Some of these groups are designed to challenge and extend the learning of students who demonstrate high potential or giftedness. In term 1, a group of students met weekly with Ms O'Donoghue to learn about different forms of published articles with an end goal of publishing their own magazine. Students have written news articles, travel guides and creative pieces on topics of their choice. 

Sports News

Zone PSSA Teams   

Early in Term 1, Jasper Rd sent 9 students to trial for a variety of PSSA zone teams. Competing against 40 of the top students in each sport, we were lucky to have 5 students make Castle Hill PSSA teams in AFL, Cricket, Basketball and both girls and boys Softball. Congratulations to Thilan J, Lebron E, Adam Z, Ella J and Ishaan A who proudly represented JRPS and CHPSSA.

AFL – Thilan J

The zone AFL team played incredibly well, winning all 6 of their games by some big margins. The boys displayed teamwork and sportsmanship and were very excited to win the competition, earning them the title of Sydney West Champions.

Basketball – Lebron E

The boys’ basketball team demonstrated enthusiasm, determination and skill to finish the pool rounds in 1st place. Unfortunately, the boys lost their semi-final game to Ridges, finishing 4th overall. They should be very proud of all their games.

Girls Softball – Ella J

The girls softball team came up against some strong opponents though played very well and never gave up. Ella pitched well and scored some runs too. The team won 3 out of their 5 games and finished an impressive 3rd overall.

Boys Softball – Adam Z

The boys fought hard and played well as a team in all their games. They won 2 out of the 5 games and finished in 4th place, only just missing out on 3rd. The coaches were very impressed with their attitudes and sportsmanship displayed in every game.

Cricket – Ishaan A

Cricket trials were held in the last 2 weeks of 2024, due to game dates. Ishaan was one of 7 students to represent Castle Hill Zone and trial for the Sydney West team. He batted and bowled well showing off his impressive cricket skills in a very strong competition.

PSSA

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.

Flexi Schools 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

Thank You to Our Wonderful School Community!

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to the Election Day BBQ & Cake Stall (Saturday 3 May) and the Mother’s Day Stall (Wednesday 7 May) — what a busy but fantastic week of community spirit and support!

From the early-morning BBQ crews and talented bakers to the gift stall helpers and everyone who donated or stopped by to support us — we are so grateful for your time, energy and generosity. These events were a great success and raised valuable funds to support exciting projects for our school.

Thank You to Our Wonderful School Community!

JRPS P&C DISCO – COMING WEEK 10!

Get ready to groove! The Jasper Road P&C Term 2 Disco is happening on Wednesday 2 July and it’s going to be a sparkling night of music, dancing and fun for all students:

 K–2 Disco: 4:30pm – 5:45pm
 Years 3–6 Disco: 6:00pm – 7:30pm
 Entry Price: $7.50 per child (prepaid only) - BBQ & Drink sales also prepaid.

This is always a highlight of the school calendar, and we need your help to make it amazing! Volunteers are needed for setup, sign-in, canteen, supervision and clean-up. If you can lend a hand (even for part of the event), scan the QR code below to sign up or email Volunteer@JasperRoadPandC.org to let us know how you might be able to help.

Let’s make this disco one to remember!

Watch this space for more information coming soon...

Parent Volunteers Needed: we are currently seeking volunteers to be able to run this disco – we can’t do it without you, so please contact us if you are available to help on Wednesday 2 July.

To help make this event a success we appreciate the support of parent volunteers. If you are available to help at this event, please scan the QR code to fill out our 2025 Volunteer Interest form (or see the link in the 2025 Parent Volunteering Opportunities section below)

2025 Parent Volunteering Opportunities (expression of interest)

Mark it in your calendars – P&C have lots of exciting events coming up – and we don’t want you or your kids to miss a thing! Scan the QR code above or click HERE to tell us the events you might be able to volunteer at – and we will do the rest, contacting you when we have more information about roles and timing for you to consider. 

Parent volunteers are vital to P&C (The Parents and Citizen’s Association) events, and without volunteers events may have to be cancelled at short notice.

Contact the P&C

Email: info@jasperroadpandc.org

Website: https://JasperRoadPandC.org

Facebook: To keep up to date with upcoming events please follow us by simply searching “Jasper Road P&C”

Email Subscription List: for all the latest news, updates and opportunities click the link to join: https://mailchi.mp/28dba4d8f979/jasper-road-pandc-signup-page 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.

Camp Australia

Community News