Jingi Walla - Welcome!
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Arakwal people of the Bundjalung nation. We are grateful for the winding creek - Balun - and the Bangalow Palm trees, that are not just pretty but also a source of food, water and materials for the Arakwal people. We are thankful we can learn whilst we play on this land. We respect and love our Jugan - land. We treat all elders with jarima (pronounced Garima) - respect. We will take action to protect, unite and connect with Country.
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principal's message
Welcome back to school. It was such a pleasure to see all of the lovely, smiling faces of children on Tuesday morning. Term 2 is shaping up to be another exciting term! I hope that students and staff enjoyed some much-needed rest, and that we’ve all returned refreshed and ready for another great term of learning, achievement, and growth.
ANZAC Day
Well done to our students (and parents) who marched last Thursday and supported our community and local RSL sub-branch during the Bangalow ANZAC Day ceremony. Thank you to Ms. Jameson and Mrs Kiesewetter for accompanying our students. This afternoon we are holding our ANZAC Day assembly. Thanks to Ms. Redden and Mr Egas for organising the commemorative event. We will be joined by members of the Bangalow RSL sub-branch. Parents are welcome to join.
Mother’s Day Stall and Brekkie
This year in honour of Mother’s Day, I have again arranged for Reverend Phil Dokmanovic from the Bangalow Uniting Church and his volunteers to set up and run a Fairtrade stall, so that students may purchase a fairtrade gift for mum’s and significant others in their lives. This will help to promote fair trade in our community, given that Bangalow is a Fairtrade town. The stall will be run on Friday 10th May, and every student will have an opportunity to purchase a gift. Gifts will range in price from $5 - $25. They will need to bring cash in on the day to purchase a gift.
Our P&C will be hosting a Mother’s Day breakfast next Friday 10 May from 8-8.45am to celebrate our wonderful mothers and special others. Light breakfast snacks will be available, byo coffee/tea. Children can make a badge with mum and take a fun selfie!
Billy Cart Derby and Pit Stop
The annual Bangalow Billy Cart Derby is quickly approaching, and there has been a lot of work going on behind the scenes. Stage 3 students are looking forward to competing in our trials to see who gets to represent our school on the day. Notes will go out shortly regarding the trials, to be held in Week 3. Well done to our wonderful P&C volunteers for their tireless work behind the scenes on arranging the raffle and the Pit Stop. It’s a big job and the school appreciates your dedication. This is the P&C’s largest fundraiser, so please be sure to help in any way that you can...volunteer, bake cakes, make and bring in Jar Tombolas, buy raffle tickets, and come down on the day to support our school.
Playground
The playground has opened and is a resounding success. It looks fantastic and the students have been excitedly exploring the many play options.
A reminder please that outside of school hours, students should not be on the fixed equipment before school, and after 3:30pm, as OSHC have the rights to use this equipment as part of their licence agreement. Before school, students should be in designated duty areas (Cola and/or oval). Parents are welcome to have younger siblings use the equipment in the afternoons whilst waiting for pick up, but I do ask you to please directly supervise your children when on the equipment by remaining close and vigilant. I thank you for your understanding and cooperation in this matter.
Kiss & Ride Procedures
A reminder about Kiss & Ride procedures. Please use the link below to read through and follow these procedures.
Importantly, please take note of the following:
- Cars ARE NOT TO drive up to the area in front of the school, near the school gate behind the hall at any time. Children and adults use this area as pedestrians. Cars are to remain on the road at all times.
- During Kiss & Ride operating times (8:50am – 9:20am and 3:00pm – 3:30pm) the road is one way. Please follow the direction as laid out by the red arrows on the diagram in the procedures during these times.
- Do not pull out ahead of vehicles that are in front of yours once your child has hopped out of the car. And do not cut across the area to the west of the small Showground oval. This is also an area of high pedestrian traffic.
- Please remind children to get out of the car on the left-hand side and ensure that your child is organised and ready to depart the car quickly when you pull up at drop off, so that you don’t keep other cars waiting.
- Please be mindful of the speed you are travelling at and go slow.
- Please do not park in the area marked as staff parking, near the rear of the Kindy block (closest to Market Street).
Thank you for your understanding as we work together to ensure the safety of all our students, and also the greater community.
Attendance Matters
Education for your child is important and regular attendance at school is essential for your child to achieve their educational best. NSW public schools work in partnership with parents to encourage and support regular attendance of children and young people. Education in New South Wales is compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 17. The Education Act 1990 requires that parents ensure their children of compulsory school age attend school each day it is open for students.
Families are encouraged to travel during school holidays. If travel during school term is necessary, please inform the school via the office. An Application for Extended Leave will be required to be completed. Absences relating to travel will be marked as leave on the roll and therefore contribute to your child’s total absences for the year. In some circumstances students may be eligible to enrol in distance education for travel periods over 50 school days. This should be discussed with your child’s school principal.
Thank you for supporting our efforts to ensure that Every Day Matters.
Carol
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
Albert Schweitzer
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sporting news
Cross Country
The annual Bangalow Public School Cross Country Carnival was held on Thursday 11th April 2024. This was a wonderful carnival, where were lucky to witness our amazing students get in and have a go. Parents of Students aged 8-13 will be notified via School Bytes if they are eligible to represent BPS at the Headlands District Carnival, which will be held the 17th May at Teven-Tintenbar Public School. A huge congratulations to all of our students who perservered and competed at the school level, we were extremely impressed with how many of you got in and had a go! A massive thank you goes to all who helped to make our carnival a wonderful one.
The Cross Country Awards Assembly will be integrated into the 1/2G class assembly on Monday 13th May. Parents will be notified if their child is receiving a ribbon or medal and are welcome to come along and celebrate with our students.
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anzac day 2024
March and ceremony
Thank you to the students who represented our school at the ANZAC Day march and ceremony in Bangalow during the school holidays. Tallulah-May and Zac were given the honour of carrying the flags at the head of the march, while Oscar carried the school banner and was accompanied by other Student Representative Council and BPS students. Thank you to Miss Jameson for organising, and also to Mrs Kiesewetter for helping with supervision.
ANZAC day Assembly
Today, we held our ANZAC assembly at school, with special guest Col Draper from the Bangalow RSL Sub-Branch. Col presented our school with a commemorative medallion for the end of World War 2, as well as a cheque for $150, to purchase books for our library. The CWA also gifted us two lovely library books to mark ANZAC Day. We are most grateful for the support of our wonderful community.
Thank you to the parents who sent flowers for our ceremony; these will be repurposed to Feros Aged Care in Bangalow.
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school bytes
Many thanks to all our families who have registered with the School Bytes Parent Portal. This is the new way to manage your child’s permissions, payments, absences and so on. If you need any help, please contact the school.
If you have not done so, please register via this link - https://portal.schoolbytes.education
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are you struggling financially
We have been given some more vouchers for Bangalow Foodworks available to families who could use a little help. These were generously donated by the Bangalow Lions Club. Please contact the school office to discuss in confidence if you would like one.
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Opportunity class (OC) applications
OC Year 5 entry in 2025: Applications are open 4 April-20 May 2024
What are opportunity classes?
Opportunity classes are one of the ways the NSW Department of Education supports high potential and gifted students. The classes help students learn by:
- grouping them with other gifted students
- using specialised teaching methods so students can learn concepts in more detail and more quickly
- supporting their wellbeing needs.
Most students in opportunity classes enjoy learning with peers who have similar abilities and interests. Opportunity classes are not zoned.
Where are they located?
There are 86 primary schools with opportunity classes in NSW each year.
- 54 schools are located in metropolitan Sydney
- 31 schools are located in rural or regional centres
- a virtual class, Aurora College, for rural and remote students is available in over 600 authorised host schools.
Students successfully placed attend the opportunity class full time in Years 5 and 6 at the relevant public school. 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.
Should you apply?
If your child learns with greater ease and speed than their classmates, they may benefit from placement in an opportunity class. High potential and gifted children need to be challenged so they remain engaged with their education. Discuss the opportunity with your child and look through the information together on Opportunity classes – Year 5.
If you would like to discuss whether you think you should apply, please contact your child’s teacher.
Equity provisions
The Equity Placement Model helps to make access to opportunity classes fairer for the following under-represented groups:
- students from low socio-educational advantage backgrounds
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students
- students from rural and remote locations
- students with disability.
The Equity Placement Model holds up to 20% of places at each school for students from these groups to support an increase in their participation.
Students from these groups may be considered for equity placement if their test performance is within 10% of general applicants for each school. Learn more about the placement process and the placement test at Opportunity classes (Year 5 – 6).
Ready to apply?
Apply online at: education.nsw.gov.au/oc
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Live Life Well @ School Initiative
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bus travel
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Does your child’s hometime routine change?
We understand that plans may change unexpectedly from time to time, and we have a system in place to deliver messages to students just prior to home-time if you need to get a message to your child telling them what to do. We also understand that sometimes children get confused or forget what they are supposed to do, and in these instances, we will phone you to confirm the arrangement.
However, some families have different arrangements each day of the week. Rather than expecting our staff to manage your child’s home time plans, here are some ideas you can try:
- Write on the back of your child’s hand with black texta (eg B for Bus, K for Kiss & Ride)
- Tie a coloured ribbon on your child’s school bag (eg red mean bus, yellow means OOSHC)
- Help your child remember their routine through regular conversations and discussions about days of the week and what they have planned.
This will help your child to develop confidence and resilience, by being responsible for their own movements. It will also assist with minimising unnecessary workload for our office staff. Thank you for your cooperation in this regard.
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POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING (PB4L)
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pb4l awards
Congratulations to the following students who will receive their Bronze Award (50 Gotchas and 5 OBA Awards) at our next Assembly on Monday 6 May:
- KB - Jaxson C, Summer DS
- KL - Alby R, Maisie P, Chantelle L
- K/1E - Apollo D
- 1/2G - Saskia C, August B
- 1/2R - Micky W, Orlando M, Buster S
- 2/3K - Neve H, Poppy S-H, Vivienne B, Roger S, Saila E
- 3/4K - Flynn S, Poppy C, Naomi C
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visiting our school?
ALL visitors to our school are expected to SIGN IN at our front office on arrival. This is standard practice across all schools, and ensures we can support your safety if there is an emergency.
The best way to sign in is by scanning the QR code on the front window and completing the relevant details. If you don't have a smart phone or mobile reception, we do have an iPad kiosk for you to use.
Please also be aware that ALL parent helpers need to have completed a volunteer declaration form (you only need to do this once while you have children enrolled at our school). Many thanks to everyone who has done this; if you would like to check if you have completed one, just phone our office.
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important dates
Term 2 2024
- Monday 6 May - Assembly (1/2R item)
- Friday 10 May - Fair Trade Mother's Day stall
- Friday 17 May - District Cross Country at TTPS
- Friday 24 May - PSSA Cricket Gala Day
- Monday 27 May - Assembly (2/3K item)
- Monday 10 June - King's Birthday Public Holiday
- Monday 24 June - Assembly (5/6G item)
- Friday 5 July - Last Day Term 2
term 3 2024
- Monday 22 July - School Development Day - Pupil Free
- Tuesday 23 July - School recommences for all students
- Thursday 29 - Friday 30 August - Stage 2 Camp Lake Ainsworth
- Friday 27 September -Last Day Term 3
term 4 2024
- Monday 14 October - School recommences for all students
- Wednesday 18 December - Last Day Term 4 for Students
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ARE YOUR CONTACT DETAILS UP TO DATE?
Please update the school office whenever there is a change to any of your contact details. We are frequently trying to contact parents on disconnected numbers or at places that they no longer work. We also need alternative "emergency contacts" in case you cannot be contacted in an emergency. If you would like to check the details we have on file, just phone the office on 6687 1434 or shoot us an EMAIL .
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Follow us on Facebook and now Instagram to keep up with the latest news from the P&C. We also share a monthly calendar of events!
- Instagram @bangalow_p_and_c
- Facebook Bangalow P&C Facebook
We’d love to see you! P&C is a great way to meet other parents and hear more about what’s happening at our school. You don’t need to come to every meeting or volunteer hours and hours… we’d just love to see you! Non-members welcome too.
Your new P&C execs for 2024 are:
- President – Anna Vinfield
- Treasurer – Mike Collins (acting)
- Secretary – Chamindu Haththotuwegama
- Vice President - Nell Ozols
- Executive members – Poppy Walker, Emma Smith
- Canteen coordinator – Selina Downes
- Uniform coordinator – Kylie Bugden
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position available
We're still on the lookout for a permanent treasurer so if you think you can help or know someone who can please get in touch. The P&C cannot operate without a treasurer so it's crucial we find someone ASAP. If you know someone who is good with a spreadsheet? Let us know!
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Pit stop
Raffle Launch
Jar Tombolas
One of the most popular stalls at the Pit Stop is “Jar Tombola”. We invite families to start collecting jars ready to fill with prizes.
Call out for billycart makers!
We would like to interview a family who is making a billycart for the derby. Please reach out to bangalowpublicpandc@gmail.com if you are happy to have your photo taken and provide a few quotes.
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canteen
PLEASE CONTACT SELINA (CANTEEN COORDINATOR) ON 0423 166 046 IF YOU'D LIKE TO VOLUNTEER A FEW HOURS IN OUR CANTEEN.
NB: All volunteers are to sign in at the front office. You will also need to complete a Volunteer Declaration prior to the day (and show photo ID) if you have not already done so.
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Howdy Folks,
Welcome back to school. Many thanks to all the volunteers who have almost filled the entire canteen roster for term 2 already! We are still in need of a few Friday volunteers for the below dates. Please message me if you can help from 9 -12 on any of those days.
It is a great way to be connected to the school and your children get a complimentary lunch order when you volunteer!
term 2
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uniform shop
Uniforms orders can be placed on Flexischools - these will be filled when our volunteer Uniform Coordinator comes in, and delivered to your child's class, or kept at the office for collection.
Please direct any uniform enquiries to bangalowuniforms@gmail.com
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Bangalow OSHC back open for April Vacation Care
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If you would like to advertise your business, service or event in our Newsletter, please contact the office on 6687 1434 for more information - conditions apply.
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Dear Parents, Good fun realistic Shotokan Karate Self Defence is taught in the Moller Pavilion for the Cubs (6 to 10 years old) on Tuesdays and Thursdays 4.00pm to 4.40pm , and for the Tigers (10 to 15 years old) on Mondays 6.15 to 7.15pm, and Tuesdays and Thursdays 4.00pm to 4.40pm . Each session incorporates meditation, techniques, drills and breath work to keep your Children fit, healthy and happy. Free trial class. Parents are welcome to join in! And we also teach during the school holidays 🙂. Our Karate Do sessions are also available Online. Contact: 0458 245 123 dallboussard@gmail.com / www.byronshireshotokan.com
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