Byron Bay Public School Newsletter TERM 3 | WEEK 4 | 2025

In 3M, it has been a very busy start to the term! In Maths, we have been recently exploring the features of quadrilaterals and symmetry. Soon we will explore tessellations and recording area using square centimetres.

During Literacy, we are reading ‘Rowan of Rin’ by Emily Rodda. This fiction book follows the adventures of a timid villager as he overcomes adversity and fear to face a giant dragon and hopefully save his village. Using this text, we are learning how authors effectively develop characterisation.

In Geography, we are learning about Australia’s neighbouring countries and researching their location and diverse characteristics.

In Art, we have been very lucky to have a guest artist ‘Mandy’ work with us to learn about koalas and to teach us techniques when using clay to sculpt our very own koalas.

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

Celebrating Education Week at Byron Bay Public School | Education Week 4th – 9th August in review!

What a week of celebrating Education Week we had last week. The opportunities that were provided to all the students who attend Byron Bay PS were wide and varied and catered for every student from Kindergarten to Year 6.

The highlights of Education Week 2025 included:

Our Senior Choir performed at the Sydney Opera House. Thank you to Mrs Greenlaw and Mrs Miller who made this phenomenal experience possible for 28 of our Year 5 and 6 students. Thank you also to the parents who organised all of the fundraising events and to those parents who were able to travel to Sydney to attend. The memory of this experience will last a lifetime.

Our Stage 2 Choir performing at our special Education Week assembly. Thank you to Ms Monty for conducting the Stage 2 Choir and to Mrs Greenlaw for leading them in their rehearsals and practices. They performed two songs - "Snow Gum" and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" in beautiful harmony. We were lucky enough to also have two of our students, Layla D and Lily S perform at this assembly.

Our monthly Citizenship Awards were presented to Mateo BF KM and Tajah F 3M by Mrs Martine Gudgen from Ray White Real Estate who sponsor this valued award. This is just one of the ways Byron Bay PS connects with their local community. Billy W 1H and Evie B 6W were also recipients of the Citizenship Award and received their books at Monday's assembly.

Local AFL representatives visited and ran AFL Taster sessions for all our students. This reflects another way that Byron Bay PS makes important connections with a local organisation.

Stage 1 attended an excursion to the Byron Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. All our Year 1 and 2 students were offered the opportunity to attend this excursion and had a great time interacting with a variety of native animals.

Stage 3 students were invited to attend beeswax wrap workshops curtesy of North East Waste. Students discovered how crafting reusable beeswax wraps offers a tangible way to reduce single-use plastic in everyday life. They learned not only how to make a wrap from scratch but also how to care for it, and were shown why these wraps help extend the freshness of food while cutting waste, the perfect combination of practical skill and environmental impact.

Our teachers opened their classrooms to parents, carers, families and friends to showcase the work the students have been doing.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)

This fortnight, we are focusing on and taking part in the national week of action “Bullying, No Way!” All students will be involved in the 'Kindness Challenge' activities where they will undertake activities demonstrating kindness and learn more about the impact being kind to others actually has. You can look up kindness activities to reinforce at home by going to either of the following websites.

Student Safety

This is a reminder that the single Kingsley Street gate is ONLY for students catching a bus of an afternoon to depart through. Our bus drivers are still feeding back to staff their concerns about student safety of an afternoon. Staff will ask parents and students not catching a bus to leave through the double Kingsley Street gate. Please be kind and respectful to staff asking you to use the correct gate. This is for the student safety. Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated.

Byron Bay Public School Athletics Age Champions & House Point Score Winners

• Junior Girl | Peyton C
• Junior Boy | Pascal E
• 11 Year Girl | Halo G
• 11 Year Boy | Ned T
• Senior Girl | Evie B
• Senior Boy | Joshua D
• Winning house - Byron

BBPS Athletics Carnival Records Broken

• Peyton C | Junior Girls Discus
• Indiana C | Junior Girls High Jump
• Malia K | 8 Year Girls 100m

Festival of Choral Music, Sydney Opera House

After months of dedication and hard work, our Senior Choir of 28 students had the incredible opportunity to travel to Sydney and perform in the Concert Hall at the Opera House, alongside students from other public schools across the state. The combined choir of 700 students sang repertoire which was specifically arranged and composed for them, accompanied by NSW Public Schools Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and Jazz Orchestra. The Australis Concert was part of a series of five concerts managed by the Arts Unit of the NSW Department of Education. Following successful auditions both individually and as a group, the students were thrilled to finally reach this iconic venue and take part in the event. It was an experience they will remember for many years to come!

Nicky Greenlaw | Senior Choir Teacher

Student Representative Council

Congratulations to our Student Class Representative Council for Semester 2 2025. Students were inducted at Monday's Whole School Assemby with their badges.

BBPS students from Year 1 to Year 6 proudly present ‘The Great School Show Off!’

Each class will be showcasing their talents in the field of performance. Please save the date, buy a ticket and come along to be entertained by our students.

‘The Great School Show Off!’ will open on Wednesday 17 September for a matinee performance followed by an evening performance.

Tickets will go on sale from Term 3, Week 5. More information from your child/ren’s class teacher to follow.

Mrs Holmes, Miss Owen and Mrs Spry - Directors

Stage 1 Byron Bay Wildlife Sanctuary Excursion

Last week Stage 1 students enjoyed a fabulous day at the Byron Wildlife Sanctuary. Luckily the rain stayed away for the day! Students' favourite activities were feeding the goats and kangaroos, petting the rabbits and guinea pigs and getting swooped by the birds at the Free Flight Bird Show. They also got to touch the scaly skins of a Blue Tongue Lizard and Children's Python. Students learnt information about the different habitats that animals live in within Australia.

Byron Writer's Festival

On Wednesday, 6 August a group of students from Years 3 - 6 attended the Primary School Day at the Byron Writers Festival. The students were totally engaged with the three guest authors and absorbed the insights the authors gave about their style and dedication to their craft. We would also like to thank the students for the outstanding behaviour displayed on this opportunistic excursion.

The next P&C Meeting will be held tomorrow night, Thursday 14 August at 5:30pm. We would love to see more new faces and look forward to seeing you there!

Sport News

Headlands District Athletics Championships

Congratulations to the 70 students who proudly represented Byron Bay Public School at the Headlands District Athletics Championships last Thursday. Our athletes gave their best effort and displayed excellent sportsmanship throughout the day.

We are thrilled to announce that 22 competitors have qualified for the Far North Coast PSSA Athletics Championships, which will be held in Kingscliff on Friday, 22 August. We wish these students the very best as they take on the next level of competition. A big thank you to Mrs Spry, Mrs Mordecai and Mrs Whitney for attending the carnival and supporting our students.

NSW PSSA Football (Soccer) Championships

Good luck to Jett K, who will represent the North Coast Region at the upcoming NSW PSSA Football Championships in Ballina during Week 6. Our school community is incredibly proud of his achievement and will be cheering him on as he competes against some of the state’s top young footballers.

Boys Football (Soccer) Knockout – Rounds 3 and 4

Congratulations to our boys' football team on their impressive performances in the NSW PSSA Football Knockout.

In Round 3, the team faced a challenging match against Bangalow Public School, coming away with a hard-fought 2–1 victory. Moving into Round 4, they played The Pocket Public School and delivered a convincing 4–1 win.

These results mean the boys will now progress to Round 5, where they will take on Bogangar Public School on Monday, 18 August. We wish the team the very best as they continue their strong run in the competition.

NSW PSSA State Cross Country

We would also like to congratulate our talented runners, Peyton C and Bronte C, who represented the North Coast Region at the NSW PSSA State Cross Country Championships at the beginning of this term. Competing against the best in the state, they demonstrated determination, resilience and outstanding sportsmanship.

Peyton finished 68th in the 10 Year Girls, and Bronte finished 50th in the 8/9 Year Girls. These are fantastic results at such a high level of competition. Well done to both students on this remarkable achievement.