Principal's Report

Night Markets & Carols Evening

A huge thank you to our wonderful P&C for hosting yet another incredibly successful Christmas Night Market and Carols evening. The atmosphere was festive, warm, and full of community spirit. Thanks to the many volunteers who gave their time and energy, and to all the families and friends who joined us on the night.

Our students shone on the “oval stage”, delivering truly outstanding performances. From the beautifully sung carols to the vibrant routines from our dance teams, every item showcased their hard work and talent, and we could not have been prouder. It was a lot of fun!

I also extend my sincere thanks to our dedicated staff for their organisation, support, and enthusiastic attendance, particularly Mrs Edwards. A special shout-out goes to the Art Club and Miss Hatchell for the amazing stall - I loved seeing their artworks!

Thank you to everyone who helped make this event such a memorable way to wrap up the year.

Year 5 Prefect Speeches

Our Year 5 prefect speeches on Monday were absolutely outstanding! Every student spoke with confidence, enthusiasm, and genuine leadership potential, making it an incredibly tough decision for our voters. We are very proud to announce our 2026 Prefects: Emma, Jess, Rory, Eve, Channing, Jake, Cody and Toby. Congratulations to each of you, and well done to all students who presented such impressive speeches. We know our new prefect team will do an amazing job representing our school. Stay tuned, our School Captains for 2026 will be revealed at our Awards Day and announced on Facebook!

P&C and Parent Survey

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the P&C for their ongoing support throughout the year. Their dedication to creating fun community events, bringing joy to our students, and fundraising for valuable school resources is truly appreciated. Every volunteer, in every role, makes a meaningful difference, and we are incredibly grateful. At Monday night’s P&C meeting, we had the chance to celebrate what has been an amazing year at YPS and to reflect on the many achievements made possible through this partnership. We also discussed the recent parent survey results and how the executive team has begun addressing the feedback received. More information is detailed below.

Upcoming Events

Keep an eye on the School Bytes calendar, as the end of term is not slowing down in terms of more fun YPS events! Here are some upcoming activities:

• High School for a Day - Just for Year 6

• Awards Day - we hope you can join us!

• Class Parties - please pack an individual ‘fun lunch box’ for your child on this day. Food cannot be shared at school.

• Year 6 Disco - don’t forget your Christmas mufti and dancing shoes!

• PBL Rewards Day - Congratulations BRADMAN! Our winning House Team for Term 4. Please wear your Bradman shirt on this day as part of the celebration.

• Stage 2 Gingerbread House Day

• Stage 3 Lifesaving Day

• Talent Quest

• Thank You Afternoon Tea - we welcome all parents, carers and community members who have contributed to our school in 2025 to join us for this special thank you afternoon tea. 

• K-2 Christmas Concert

• Year 6 Vs Teachers Basketball Game - will the teachers remain undefeated? With many teacher injuries this year the tradition may be broken!

• Year 6 Clap Out - we will miss you Year 6! All the best for High School! Please come back to visit us!

• Jamberoo

• Movie / Picnic Day

What an exciting end to term we have planned!

Technology Update

During the summer school holidays, the usernames of students in Kindergarten, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 (Class of 2026) will be set to the department’s new shortened format (student initials and the last four digits of their student reference number, such as JS1234 for example). Your child’s teacher will be able to print off a login credentials card if you need it.

Selective High School or OC Class Entry 2027

Selective high school and opportunity class applications are open from 6 November 2025 to 20 February 2026

Selective high school Year 7 entry in 2027: Apply when your child is at the end of Year 5 or the beginning of Year 6.

Opportunity class Year 5 entry in 2027: Apply when your child is at the end of Year 3 or the beginning of Year 4.

Selective high schools and opportunity classes are some of the ways the NSW Department of Education supports high potential and gifted students.

What are their benefits?

Students learn alongside, and form friendships with, other high potential and gifted classmates. Special teaching methods allow students to learn at a quicker pace and in more detail.

Research shows that students benefit both academically and socially when learning with classmates who have similar abilities.

Selective high schools and opportunity classes are not zoned so you can apply to ones outside your local enrolment area. Within each co-educational opportunity class and selective high school there will be an equal number of places available for girls and boys.

Do you speak another language? Translated resources are available in 13 languages on our website: edu.nsw.link/shsoc_languages

Is a selective high school or opportunity class the right fit for my child?

A selective high school or opportunity class might be a great fit if your child:

• learns quickly

• asks complex questions

• is highly motivated

• has a good memory

• is intensely focused in their area of interest

Where are selective high schools (Year 7-12) located?

There are 4 types of selective high schools:

• fully selective high schools, where all students attending the school have high potential or are gifted

• partially selective high schools, where there is a mix of students who have high potential or are gifted and local area students

• 4 agricultural selective high schools, including 3 boarding schools

• Aurora College, which provides online selective classes for rural and remote students in their local host schools.

Search for a selective high school near you at Find a selective high school.

Where are opportunity classes (Year 5-6) located?

There are 2 types of opportunity classes:

• full-time opportunity classes in selected primary schools

• Aurora College, which provides online opportunity classes for rural and remote students in their local authorised host schools.

Search for an opportunity class near you at Find an opportunity class.

Students successfully placed attend the opportunity class full-time in Years 5 and 6. In most cases, students who have accepted a place in an opportunity class will leave their current school to attend the school with the opportunity class.

Discuss the opportunity with your child and look through the information together on the Selective high schools and opportunity classes website and in the student resource hub:

·        Applying for a selective high school: Student resource hub

·        Applying for an opportunity class: Student resource hub

Fair and equitable access

The Equity Placement Model  helps make access fairer for more high potential students in our community.

We know that some students may be missing out because they experience educational disadvantage.

Under the model, up to 20% of places in each selective high school and opportunity class are held for:

• students from low socio-educational advantage backgrounds

• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students

• students from rural and remote locations

• students with disability.

These students still receive offers based on their performance in the placement test.

Learn more at Fair access.

The application process

Complete the online application.

Applications close on 20 February 2026.

Once your application has been submitted and processed, your child will need to sit a computer-based placement test. Learn more at Application process.

Ready to apply?

Apply online at shsoc.education.nsw.gov.au

Further information

Visit Selective high schools and opportunity classes. 

2025 - That’s a Wrap!

As we wrap up our final newsletter for 2025, we wish all our families a joyful, relaxing, and safe holiday season filled with special moments. Thank you for your support, kindness, and community spirit throughout the year. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for an exciting 2026 when students return on Monday, 2 February. Enjoy the break, and see you in the new year!

Kind regards,

Kyleigh Nash

Principal