THE HEIGHTS BYTES

Welcome students, parents, carers and loved ones to the 2026 school year!

Thank you to all the families who are joining us again and a warm welcome to all our new families. I hope you are all strapped in because we have a fun-filled year ahead of us. Welcome to what will be our best year yet!

It has been an absolute joy seeing all those smiling faces entering the school grounds this morning. The atmosphere was electric as students discussed their holiday (and their excitement at being back at school!!!!). All students had the opportunity to get a ‘first day’ photo and we will make these available to our families as soon as possible. If for some reason your child didn’t get the opportunity, we are more than happy to re-enact something for them tomorrow.

As always, there was anticipation in the air, students were eagerly talking about which teacher they would have this year and what friends they might have in their class. As mentioned over the last few years, classing is a very intricate process and one, we at Barrack Heights, take extremely seriously. Last year, we spent countless hours working out the best place for all students. We discussed social, emotional and academic needs and made decisions using our experience and professional judgement.

Today your child was not placed in their class for the 2026 school year (except for our Burri Burri Support Unit students). This is to ensure we are certain of what the class structures will look like. It is always a student numbers game when it comes to classing and as such, we need at least two days to make sure there has not been any significant changes in our student numbers over the holiday period. At Barrack Heights we make significant decisions based on student numbers. We do not want huge class sizes and as such this 'numbers game' is important to get right. We are looking at finalising decisions for the later part of the week.

Even though classes are not operating as they normally would, students are grouped in their YEAR GROUP and are still participating in engaging learning opportunities and activities which will re-familiarise themselves with how to be an engaged learner and succeed in school life. At this stage, it potentially may not be with their 2026 classmates or teacher.

As classing is a numbers game, we are anticipating different classing structures this year. There has been significant time spent on looking at all the potential options and no matter where your child sits, they will be in a learning envioronment that will cater for their academic, social and emotional needs. At Barrack Heights we are not focused on your child's chronological age to determine where their needs sit. We will cater for them wherever they are and wherever they need to head next in thier progression. Children do not walk at the same age, cut teeth at the same age nor meet all milestones at the same age, it is therefore imporatnt not to assume they all grow academically and socially at the same pace and at the same age. Our quality teaching and learning opportunities will meet your child where they are and support them where they need to go next, no matter what class they are in.

Classroom teachers will be in touch with information that will support both you and your child at school as soon as things are finalised.

Our Vision for 2026

At Barrack Heights Public School our vision for 2026 is that every student is not only known, valued and cared for, but they are supported and inspired to be successful learners and thriving citizens.

Our core focus is to engage and motivate our learners to push the boundaries and never give up. Our learners will be resilient, creative and critical thinkers. They will not only learn how to think outside the box, but they will learn how to work collaboratively and as a team. They will be involved in learning experiences that will cause them to have ‘sweaty brains’ and they will learn to love the challenge of thinking. Our students will also be involved in experiences which will broaden their understanding of civics and citizenship; allowing them to see beyond our school gates into the world.

In 2026 we will be encouraging student voice and provide leadership opportunities where students will cooperatively work together on initiatives. 2026 will be a CRACKER! We can’t wait to see how exceptional our children are in tackling learning challenges and engaging in school life.

Updates will be constantly available so our community are aware of the wonderful experiences our students are involved in at our school. Please stay tuned!

IMPORTANT NOTICE - swimming carnival

Our annual School Swimming Carnival is already here! THIS FRIDAY!

If your child is in Years 3-6 they will attend the Swimming Carnival either as a competitor or as a spectator. Competitiors should be able to complete one 50m unassisted lap of the pool. Students who are spectators also will have the opportunity to participate in structured novelty events if they wish to.

Students who are in Year 2 and are turning 8 years old this year (and can swim 50m unassistend) are also encouraged to attend as spectators.

A note has gone home to families with more detailed information.

Keeping Connected with bhps

There are several ways to keep connected with BHPS.

The very first way is to make sure you have downloaded the School Bytes application on your mobile device (it is the same one we used last year). This is where all our school alerts and important reminders can be found. If you don’t

have a code to join our school, please contact the school and we will issue a new code for you.

In addition to the School Bytes app, we have a school Facebook page which provides important information regarding our school. Please find us on Facebook and like the page so it becomes a ‘favourite’. That way you will get information when we post something. Our school has an Instagram page which you can also follow for photos of what is happening around our school. This page highlights some of the wonderful experiences our students are involved in. The school website is also another great source of information. This has links to policies and procedures as well as Department of Education information.

It is very difficult to update our families on changing arrangements or last minute pieces of information if you don’t have the School Bytes. As a first point of action please make sure you have the School Bytes app.

To get best use of the app, please make sure you turn on notifications in your settings so you get alerts from the school.

contacting the school

If at any point you need to contact the school or classroom teacher, please do so via the office or email the teacher directly. At our 'Meet the Teacher' event coming up in a few weeks, teachers will speak to you on the best mode of communication.

It is important to note, teachers will not be able to respond immediately (or possibly by the end of the workday) to emails so if you have something that can’t wait or has some level of urgency, please call the office and we will get the message through.

We will be hosting a Meet the Teacher session for all classes once we are settled into routine. Stay tuned for more information on this event.

attendance

Attendance is crucial to the success of our students. The nature of education has changed so dramatically, that even one day away can make a difference in the learning and wellbeing of a child. Teaching is individualised to each child’s particular need and it is vital that all children participate in differentiated instruction each day at school. Quite often the day's learning builds on the previous day's teaching and as such it is important that children have the opportunity to continuiously build on their learning. A high absence rate can also have a significant impact on the social side of school.

At Barrack Heights Public School, we expect each child to attend school every day possible. Of course, there will be circumstances such as sickness or ill health, which prevent your child from coming to school. However, it is vital that when they are well, they attend school.

If you have any issues with your child coming to school, please contact the office at your earliest convenience so we can put strategies into place to ensure their attendance. We have an incredible wrap around team at BHPS who will help with strategies that wil not only support your child, but your family.

This year we will be continuing with our weekly 100% attendance awards, our termly 90% and above family experience awards as well as our class attendance awards. All these awards support students in positive school attendce, whilst still supporting the odd sick day here and there.

crossing safely & Gate times

It is critical to the safety of ALL our students that children ONLY cross the road at the two dedicated crossing areas.

Please, please please... do not call you child to cross the road anywhere else because it is quicker to where you are parked.

We need all our students to understand where it is safe to cross the road and where it is dangerous. Although it might be easier for you, PLEASE model safe behaviour and cross with your child at either the Captain Cook Crossing, or the crossing outside our office gate.

We open the Basketball gates for everyone as it is halfway between both crossings, and we plead with our loved ones to keep our children safe by only crossing at the designated areas.

Every day at 2:45pm our back gates (at the Basketball Courts) will be opened by our student leaders. Please take this opportunity to come in and wait for your child. This is a great chance to mingle with other parents and catch your child’s teacher if you want a chat.

changes in Staff

As you would have seen at the end of last year we had a number of staff who have moved on from Barrack Heights to take up other opportunities, maternity leave or extended leave. We also welcome a number of new faces who we are incredibly excited to introduce to our community. Please stay tuned on our socials (Facebook and Instagram) to meet the new teams and staff for 2026.

2026 school leaders

Congratulations to our 2026 School Leaders, Sianna & Oliver!

If you haven't seen these leaders in action yet, stay tuned to watch them shine.

2026 School Uniforms

Please send your uniform order to barrackht-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au so that orders can be put together ready for collection.

Payment can be made as an advanced payment in School Bytes or via Cash or Eftpos at pick up.

2026 class supplies

As we prepare for the 2026 school year, we are pleased to share the class supply lists for your child’s stage. While these supplies are not compulsory, having them will greatly support your child’s learning experience and help them feel ready and confident in the classroom.

We encourage you to review the lists and organise any items that you feel comfortable providing. Thank you for your ongoing support, and we look forward to a wonderful year ahead!

bhps community pantry

Friendly reminder to please return borrowed Community Pantry crates

bhps health & wellbeing

grow your mind

SCHOOL BYTES

Barrack Heights uses School Bytes for communication, reminders, payments for excursions and sports, attendance submissions and statements of accounts. If you haven't already downloaded the app and linked your child/ren please select the appropriate link below to setup.

App Store - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/school-bytes/id6463097826
Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=education.schoolbytes

If you have any questions please contact the office for assistance.

GENERAL REMINDERS

If you moved house or changed your phone number or email address? Please update your details at the office or by sending an email to the school at barrackht-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Please see the office staff if your child has any medical requirements or if medical information needs to be updated.
School times are 8.55am - 3pm. If your child is late, they must come to the office for a late note. All absences, both whole day and partial absences, need to be explained. You can do this via the School Bytes app, email, phone or at the office.
If students are marked as absent on the school roll, an SMS will be sent out before 11am on the same day advising you of the absence. Please respond via schoolbytes advising the reason for their absence.
At Barrack Heights our school hours are from 8.30am to 3.00pm. Students must NOT be on school grounds before 8:30am without parent supervision. A Teacher is on duty from 8.30am onwards.

ELECTRONIC GATE C

We are pleased to inform you that our main entry gate, Gate C, is now fully operational and running electronically again throughout the day. For the safety of our students, we kindly remind you of the following procedures:

Please call the office for admission to the school whenever Gate C is closed.
Parents or responsible adults accompanying children should hold the gate closed after entering or exiting until it locks.
The gate will beep until it has locked, so please ensure it is held closed until the beeping stops.

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated as the gate is there primarily for the safety of our students. Thank you for your understanding and support.