Welcome to Term 1, 2026, and to our first newsletter of the year. The first day of school is always a special occasion, and this week we saw students and parents managing the various logistical and emotional aspects that come with it. The vast majority of returning students were excited to reunite with their friends and did an excellent job welcoming the new students. Among the parents, there were clearly mixed emotions, particularly for Kindergarten parents experiencing the start of the school year milestone for the first time.

In the days leading up to the students’ return, school staff were engaged in professional development and student learning preparation. These opportunities for the adults of our school to learn together are invaluable. 

This year we welcome two new teachers to our school, Miss Olivia Johns and Miss Abbie Tong. We welcome back Mrs Belinda Buckley and Miss Courtney Laws to the school. Well respected Mrs Nareen Khakh will be the relieving Assistant Principal for Stage 3. Our Miss Whitney Fedczyna will now be known as Mrs Richards. We congratulate Mrs Louise McLeod as she is on loan to another school as a relieving Assistant Principal for the year. One of our diligent school administrative officers, Mrs Kim Nicolussi, is on loan to a high school. A long serving and respected teacher at the school, Mrs Ingrid Samuels, is on leave for the first part of the year. Thank you to Mr Lachlan Barnes (our crossing supervisor) as he resigns from Transport NSW to undergo further study. Mr Barnes will be retained by the school as a part time general assistant for the next few months.

The school newsletter will be sent via the School App each fortnight in each even week of the school term. You are encourage to thoroughly read each edition to be informed about your child’s educational experiences as well as school community information and events.

Our older students and school staff are delighted to welcome our new Kindergarten students. This is an exciting milestone for the entire school community. Beginning school marks an important rite of passage and a significant transition in a child’s education. We extend our thanks to the school P&C for hosting the ‘Tears and Tissues’ gathering at the local café for Kindergarten parents. We look forward to further supporting our newest learners.

Parent and teacher meetings are scheduled for Weeks 4, 5 and 6 of this term. For Years 3-6, this meeting is a three-way meeting for the sharing of information from not only the teacher but especially parents and their child. Your child will be encouraged to be part of the interview to contribute with goal setting and information sharing. Tomorrow, Friday 6 February, parents will be notified with options of interview times. It is still early in the year but the meeting should offer more information and direction from parents about their child which will benefit their child’s learning progress for the remainder of 2026. 

Next week at 3.30pm Friday, 13 February, all parents of our Kindergarten students are encouraged to attend to obtain important information from their child’s teacher, the school and P&C.  Parent and teacher interviews for Kindergarten will occur towards the end of this school term.

Next week at 3.30pm Wednesday,11 February, all parents of our Year 1 and Year 2 students are encouraged to attend to obtain important information from their child’s teacher, the school and P&C.  Parent and teacher interviews for Stage 1 will occur towards the end of this school term.

We are delighted to warmly welcome 62 new K-6 families to Samuel Gilbert PS. To all our new students and their families, we extend a heartfelt welcome and hope you have a wonderful experience as part of our school community.

Next week, Friday 13 February, the school P&C and staff will be hosting our annual 'Welcome to School BBQ' to welcome all Kindergarten students and their families as well as families new to the school. It will commence at 4pm and there will be a free sausage sizzle as well as refreshments. It will be a fun-filled way to start the year and will provide a fabulous opportunity for you to meet other families in the school. 

Stating the obvious, your child/ren receive the best education when you and the teachers work together as a team. It is through reasonable parent enthusiasm, support and involvement that children are inspired to do their best; and teachers are able to facilitate what they need to learn. It is almost impossible for a child to reach their potential if you rely completely on 6 hours at school a day for their education. It is also very important to communicate with the best person to help solve your questions. Teachers need to be informed of relevant information about the academic, social and developmental aspects of your child. This has to work the other way too for teachers to inform parents. Often our teachers will not be available for a lengthy meeting without it being scheduled. Please do not expect an immediate meeting with your child’s teacher, directly before, during or just after school times. Parents are encouraged to negotiate an appointment time with your child’s teacher or through our administration office, telephone 8855 9500.   Alternatively, you may use the school’s email address samuelgilb-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

The following is our current school practice and will give you some direction.

• The Teacher for your child is always the first and best professional person with whom to speak regarding academic progress, social or behavioural concerns, class policy and procedures.
• Assistant Principals: If the question relates to a specific issue that is outside of the classroom, any questions regarding specific grade programs, issues relating to discipline / bullying, concerns that have not been resolved by speaking with the classroom teacher or queries relating to teaching and learning within the classroom.

Assistant Principal, K-6, esp. Kindergarten          Mrs Danielle Alam 

Assistant Principal, K-6, esp. Years 1-2:                Mrs Garylene Neldner

Assistant Principal K-6, especially Years 3-4:        Ms Kate Hayley

Assistant Principal rel. K-6, esp. Years 5-6:           Mrs Nareen Khakh

Deputy Principal K-6, especially Kindy - Yr2:        Ms Gilliane Appave

Deputy Principal K-6, especially Yrs 3-6:                Ms Cathie Barclay 

Assistant Principal: Curriculum & Instruction:      Ms Amanda Keane

• Administration and Finance:         
• School Administrative Manager:                   Mrs Alison Freeman
• Principal                                                             Mr Greg McLaren

The Principal & Deputy Principals: Issues that have not been resolved first through discussions with the class teacher and /or the Assistant Principal. Issues that relate to the whole school, child protection and student welfare, governance and management, financial and budgeting, community, concerns relating to teachers and other school staff.

The best way to stay informed about school events is through the school app. Please continue using the app to keep your calendar up to date and to receive timely notifications, such as cancellations of excursions or carnivals due to wet weather. Simply search for "Samuel Gilbert Public School" in the App Store (for Apple devices) or the Play Store (for Android devices) to find and download the app. Alternatively, you can access School eNews via the link on our school website.

The first Parent & Citizens (P&C) meeting for 2026 will take place from 7.30pm next Tuesday evening, 10 February, in the school library. The P&C offers an excellent opportunity for new families to become involved in the vital work carried out by the local association. According to the P&C Federation, “P&C Associations are a vital window into a child’s education. Being involved in the education process is one of the most valuable ways to support your child, positively influencing their engagement and academic success.”

Our school has a proud history of benefiting from an active and committed P&C. The dedicated P&C executive team organises community events, manages the canteen, conducts fundraising efforts, oversees uniform sales, and, where allowed, supports extracurricular activities. We sincerely thank Ms Paddy Jessing for her leadership as P&C President, as well as all the committee and general members who generously contribute their time and effort to support our school community.

On a personal note, congratulations to one of my sons, James, and his new wife, Laura, who were married in the last fortnight. May they have a long and happy marriage.

Greg McLaren 
PRINCIPAL

It is always exciting to start a new school year for teachers and families alike. We hope children are beginning to feel settled into their new classes and are looking forward to new opportunities, friendships and challenges. We extend a warm welcome to all of our new families and look forward to getting to know you better as part of the Samuel Gilbert community.

Research on first-day school drop-offs indicates that establishing a calm, consistent, and quick, but not abrupt, routine is critical for mitigating child separation anxiety. Strategies like, goodbye rituals (hugs/kisses), preparing in advance, and maintaining a confident demeanor are essential, as children mirror parental emotions. 

Some helpful tips for morning drop off:

• The "Good" Goodbye: Keep goodbyes brief and calm to prevent prolonged anxiety. Long goodbyes can make separation harder, while too abrupt can be jarring.
• Establish Routines: Create a predictable routine (e.g., hanging up the bag, a special handshake) that begins a week before school starts.
• Parental Emotions: Parents should manage their own anxiety, as children often pick up on, and react to, their parents' emotional state.
• Avoid "Sneaking" Out: Always say goodbye; sneaking away can foster mistrust and increase future anxiety.
• Address Concerns Promptly: If a child is consistently distressed, collaborate with educators rather than lingering, as most children calm down quickly once the parent leaves. 

For children experiencing high anxiety, using consistent, supportive, and communicative strategies with teachers ensures a smoother transition, with research showing that the majority of children calm down within 5 minutes of separation. 

NAPLAN is a National testing program for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. With the exception of the Year 3 Writing component all tests will be conducted online. The test period is between Wednesday 11 March and Monday 23 March. At Samuel Gilbert we endeavour to complete the testing in the first 5 days of the window to allow a few catch up tests to be provided.

Ideally students will be at school on the test days so that they can complete these with their classmates. We encourage you to make appointments etc outside the test period and ensure students are on time for school. 

Students will require a working set of headphones. These should be functional headphones as we often find the novelty style of headphones ( eg covered in fur fabric etc) do not pick up the NAPLAN audio effectively. If you have any concerns regarding your child’s participation in NAPLAN please speak to your child’s teacher. Contact will be made by the school to families with children in Years 3 and 5 who may be eligible for exemption or withdrawal. 

Parents and carers can access support and resources on the NAP – National Assessment website https://nap.edu.au
 Additional information can be found on the NESA website which is NESA is the Test Administration Authority (TAA) of all NSW schools. https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au

Our school swimming carnival at Waves Pool will be held in Week 5 on Wednesday 25 February. All children in Years 3-6 are expected to attend and participate in some of the activities provided on the day. The Splash Pad provides a wonderful opportunity for our non swimmers to cool down as there is no deep water, slides and showers are designed to keep children wet and entertained regardless of swimming ability. Please complete payment and permissions on School Bytes as soon as possible to assist with our planning. Entry forms will be available from your child’s class teacher. 

A reminder to families with students in Year 4 wishing to apply for Opportunity Class placement and Year 6 wishing to apply for Selective High School placement in 2027 that the online application portal will close for applications on Friday 20 February 2026. 

The online application link for parents and carers is available at Selective high schools and opportunity classes until 20 February 2026.

PSSA trials for summer teams commence this week. The summer sports we participate in at PSSA are Cricket, Touch Football, Softball , Tee Ball and Basketball. For children who miss out this year on inclusion in a team a fun school sport program is run at school for house points between recess and lunch. 

On Thursday 19 February approximately 35 students will be attending the Castle Hill Zone trials at Bernie Mullane for inclusion in a representative Zone team in either AFL, Basketball, Netball, Rugby League, Football, Softball or Touch Football. With 18 schools participating the standard of play for selection is extremely high, with some coaches expecting students to play at a representative level outside of school. Each school is able to send three students from Years 5 or 6 for each sport with additional students sometimes accepted with convenor permission. Students nominated for the sports they were interested in last year, listing their highest level of achievement. Following this coaches of PSSA teams were consulted to list their top three students in each sport. From here we made a determination of the three children we would send and where children were deemed of similar ability priority was given to Year 6 students. 

We wish all students attending the trial the best of luck.

As a component of the Year 2 Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) learning area, Year 2 will be attending the Department of Education Swim Scheme program. In 2026 our Year 2 teaching and learning team have organised Swimming Scheme earlier in the year to allow for maximised, uninterrupted learning throughout the remainder of 2026.The Department of Education School Swimming and Water Safety Program is an intensive learn to swim program, which assesses and develops water confidence and provides students with skills in water safety and survival. The program is conducted over 5 days. Each daily lesson is 90 minutes. Students who have not reached a satisfactory standard of water safety and survival skills and are unable to swim 25m confidently unaided with correct technique in deep water, are eligible to participate in the School Swimming and Water Safety Program. Students who enter the program with stronger swimming skills are identified and given opportunity to practice and extend skills.

All of Year 2 will be participating between March 16-March 20 or March 23 – March 27 and more information will follow on School Bytes.

 If you have any questions or concerns about swim scheme please contact Ms Appave.

On Monday 23 February the Sydney West trials will be held at the Dural Tennis Courts. Children need to be of Yellow Ball standard or above. Information regarding these trials has been sent via the app. Please let me know if your child will be applying to attend. In addition to this I believe there are a number of students keen to be involved in the Todd Woodbridge Cup which is held in August. https://www.tennis.com.au/nsw/players/school/todd-woodbridge-cup

Last year we were unable to form full teams once again so please let me know if you would like your child to be involved in 2026. We would need a minimum of 5 boys and 5 girls for each team.

For those who followed the tennis during the Australian Open you may be interested to know that the winner of a million dollars in the 1 Point Slam was past Samuel Gilbert student Jordan Smith. Although we can’t take credit for his outstanding tennis ability as his family run the Castle Hill Tennis Academy on Gilbert Road, perhaps we can share his families’ pride in his public speaking abilities which were impressive. Jordan was a happy positive student here between 2002 and 2008 and it was fabulous to see that his happy positive demeanour continues to shine. Congratulations Jordan!

The dance program with Miss Stacey will commence next week with both Before School Groups and class groups underway. This term Years 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 will have their 8 lessons of dance with Year 6 and Kindergarten having their lessons later in the year.  Lessons with Miss Stacey will be held in the new hall. 

Year 6 enjoyed a full day today developing their leadership skills led by the 'unleashing personal potential team'. Students thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work collaboratively with their peers, proudly wearing their new Year 6 shirts. It was a positive start to their final year at Samuel Gilbert.

Our Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 teachers are looking forward to meeting families next week at the programmed Meet the Teacher afternoons.  These meetings will be held in your student’s classroom. They will focus on classroom routines and broader school expectations. They are also a chance for you to meet your child’s class teacher and other parents in your child’s class. In K-2 the Meet the Teacher afternoons are not for individual interviews. These will be held later on, once students have settled into classes.

Kindergarten                   Friday Feb 13                              3:30-4:00  followed by new family BBQ

Years 1 and 2                   Wednesday Feb 11                   3:30-4:00

Cathie Barclay and Gilliane Appave
DEPUTY PRINCIPALS

The 2026 school year is well underway and in full swing. There’s plenty of learning to do this year and whether your child is starting school for the very first time, or returning to another school year, it’s important as parents and carers to know what your child is learning about at school.

The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) continues to move forward in the Curriculum Reform. At Samuel Gilbert PS in 2026, all teachers are well-equipped in delivering the new English and Mathematics K-6 Syllabus. Teachers are regularly being upskilled in accessing and teaching syllabus content and navigating the curriculum framework through on-going high quality professional learning. The new curriculum has been designed to engage all students at a deep, purposeful and meaningful level of learning while providing greater clarity to teachers in a new streamlined syllabus structure. As the new curriculum continues to progress, other Key Learning Areas (HSIE, PDHPE, Creative Arts and Science and Technology) are also being updated and will be implemented over the year and into next year. More information on this progress to come.

For more information on accessing the NSW Syllabus and other curriculum information, visit:

https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/about/who-we-are/information-for-parents-and-carers

You can also access the Getting ready for school guides which are packed with information to help families start school in 2026. The Getting ready for primary school guide offers a range of helpful tips and advice in preparing your child for the school year. You can download a copy at:

https://education.nsw.gov.au/schooling/parents-and-carers/going-to-school/getting-ready-for-school/starting-primary-school

Having a positive start to the school term will help your child engage in quality learning and interact with their peers and teachers ready to set them up for academic and social success. Samuel Gilbert is looking forward to a wonderful year of learning in 2026!

Amanda Keane
Relieving Assistant Principal, Curriculum and Instruction

Welcome

On behalf of the P&C, welcome to the 2026 school year. We are delighted to see our returning families for a new year, and we extend a warm welcome to all the new families who have joined us in 2026. Our school has a very active P&C. We work together with the support of our families and school staff to serve our school community for the benefit of all our students. Here at SGPS, we have a special school community and we invite each family to consider the ways in which you can be involved to support our school this year.  

For decades, researchers have pointed to one key success factor for students at school: parental involvement. The P&C is the perfect avenue to be involved in your child’s education.

The purpose of the P&C is to assist our school and promote the interests of the entire school community. The SGPS P&C:

• promote the interests of the school by partnering with our parents, students and the School Executive, and
• assist in providing facilities and equipment that promote the wellbeing of the students.

We do this by facilitating services such as the Band program, Canteen and Uniform Shop and organising events that build community and raise funds such as the Great Fete, Trivia Night, BBQ’s, Disco and Fun Runs. We also facilitate the class parent network at the school so that we can support our school and parents.

For those who are new to SGPS, we would like to introduce our 2026 P&C President, Paddy Jessing.

Family: My partner Bernie and our 3 boys: Tyghe - Year 6, Cian - Year 4 and Aidan - Yr 1.

I work full time as a Business Analyst for the Sydney Opera House.  Outside of work, I help with my partner's Irish dance school, Dwyer Whelan Irish Dance, providing support with administration, competitions, and teaching classes and workshops when I can. I spend a lot of time playing mum taxi and racing between the various activities my children do!  

I grew up with parents who were really involved in the P&C (my Dad was also President when I was in Primary school!), so being part of the school community has always felt natural to me. I was proud of how much they contributed, and that definitely influenced how I see community involvement today. I volunteer because I genuinely enjoy getting involved and giving back wherever I can. My kids will only be young for a short time, and it means a lot to be part of their school community while they still enjoy having me around!

The SGPS P&C has always played such an important role in shaping our school, and I’m incredibly grateful that my children, and our family, benefit from the hard work of past committees and volunteers.   Without the P&C, together with support from the school, our kids might not have the amazing resources and experiences they enjoy today - 1:1 devices, classroom smartboards, upgraded playgrounds, services like the Canteen and Uniform shop, and all the fun events like movie nights, discos, the annual fun run, and of course, The Great Fete!

I’d love to help continue that legacy, not just for my own children, but for future families coming through. I really hope we can keep encouraging more people to get involved so that our children’s primary school years are positive, supported, and full of great memories.

If you would like to contribute to your child’s school this year, the P&C is a wonderful place to start. Come and meet some like-minded parents and together, we can make a difference to our school community. All parents and carers are invited to our first P&C meeting for 2026 on Tuesday 10 February at 7:30pm in the School Library. For more information, please contact our President, Paddy Jessing at president@sgpspc.org.au.

Our uniform shop has now moved! You can find our P&C Unform shop outside the hall entrance facing Gilbert Road. We are so grateful to the School for their support in allowing us to move to this wonderful new space. Thank you also to our business Manager, Sarah, who has worked diligently to set up the shop and also to Katie Pike for her assistance.

The uniform shop is open on Mondays and Thursday’s 8am-1pm during the school term. You can also place an online order via the Flexischools App. Online orders once filled, are returned to your child’s class.

For online Canteen and Uniform Shop orders, our school has moved to Flexischools. Please register with Flexischools and download the app. You can add your child/children to your account and assign their 2026 Year level/class.  

With the 2026 Kindergarten cohort beginning their schooling journey on Monday, the P&C welcomed our new parents at the annual Cheers and Tears at the local Café. Thank you to the P&C Exec members and school executive members who attended. We are very much looking forward to seeing our Kindy families at our Welcome BBQ.

The P&C in partnership with the School and OOSH, will be hosting a Welcome to School BBQ on Friday 13 February 2025 at 4pm under the Blue COLA outside the Canteen following the Kindy Meet the Teacher session. All new families to the school from Kindy as well as any other year group are invited to attend. This is an opportunity to meet other new parents as well as current parents from the school. We look forward to meeting you and your family!

All SGPS community members to attend our monthly P&C meetings. Our P&C meets every second Tuesday of the month in person and/or online. Our P&C is gratefully supported by our School Executive who are in attendance. What happens at a P&C Meeting? We receive updates from our P&C President as well as a report from our School Principal. We also receive reports from our P&C sub-committees and discuss events and important school updates. If you want to find out first what is happening at our school, we would love you to join us. Our first meeting for Term 1 will be held in the School Library at 7:30pm on Tuesday 10 February 2026. We aim to finish our meetings by approximately 8:30pm where possible. If you are unable to attend in person on the night but would like to join us online, please follow this link:

P&C Meeting Tuesday 10 February 2026 at 7:30pm 

Each year we have a wonderful group of parents who are assigned as class parents for each class. Our class parents provide a valuable conduit between the school and P&C, the classroom teacher and the parents in each class. If you would like to know more about the role of a SGPS Class parent, please read the EOI form that was issued on the School App this week. We invite interested parents to return the expression of interest form by tomorrow Friday 6 February to your class teacher. We hope to notify class parents by Friday 13th February.  

In order to receive communications from your 2026 class parent, parents and carers must sign up to be on the class contact list. Where consent is provided, 2026 What’s App class groups will be formed and parents and carers will be added. Please note that the School cannot disclose your contact information to the P&C. Parent consent is required each year. Members of the Class What’s app group are subject to the SGPS P&C Social Media Policy, a copy of which is available on our website (https://www.sgpspc.org.au/services).

To sign up to your 2026 Class Parent Contact List, please complete the form for each child using the following link/QR code:

2026 Class Parent Contact List

Our SGPS Canteen is a service provided by our P&C. In order to keep costs down, we rely on parent volunteers. The canteen roster for Term 1 is available. Please consider how you can help. Your children love to see a familiar face on the other side of the counter! You can sign up to volunteer at the Canteen this Term using the link below: 

Canteen Signup Term 1 2026

The SGPS P&C oversee a fabulous Band Program at SPGS for Years 3-6 students. We are looking forward to rehearsals resuming next week.

Our Band program is run by a Band Committee which comprises of a group of dedicated parent volunteers and volunteer staff members, with Greg Pratley as our Band Chairperson. Our Band program continues to grow from strength to strength under the expertise of our Band Director, Mrs Skinner, who continues to oversee our Band program. Our Band Program is not possible without our volunteers. If you have a student involved in the program and would like to help, please reach out to Greg at sgpsbandcoordinator@gmail.com. 

The P&C has scheduled an evening of Interrelate family sessions for Thursday 19^th March 2026. 

Interrelate Tricky Talks program involves two one-hour live online presentations:

• Session 1: 'Where Did I Come From?' 6:00pm - 7:00pm (recommended Years 3-4)
• Session 2: ‘Preparing for Puberty’ 7:15pm-8:15pm (Years 5-6 and optional Years 3-4)

More details will follow on the School app shortly. However, if parents would like to register to attend, the link is open now: https://events.humanitix.com/samuel-gilbert-ps-tricky-talks-19th-march-2026

Registrations are capped so we invite families to register early to ensure that they can attend. 

Please note that when registering the Ticket information, there will be a drop-down menu that allows you to register for the session you wish to attend with your child. You may select Session 1 or 2 or the Family Evening Session which provides access to both Session 1 and 2.  Both sessions will be an hour long with a small break in between. Whether you choose to attend only one session or both, the cost is $45.01 per family including GST.

If you have any questions regarding the program, please do not hesitate to contact Elizabeth at etye@sgpspc.org.au. 

· P&C Meeting   – Tuesday 10 February 7:30pm in the Library or Online. All welcome. 

· Kindy/New Family BBQ – Friday 13 February 2026 4pm – Under the Blue COLA outside the Canteen

· P&C Meeting   – Tuesday 10 March 7:30pm in the Library or Online. All welcome. 

· Interrelate for Years 3-4 & Years 5-6: Thursday 19 March 2026. 

More information: For more information on events and news please check out the following: 

• Website: https://www.sgpspc.org.au
• Facebook page: https://ww.facebook.com/SGPSPC
• School website: https://www.samuelgilbertnsw.edu.au
• School app: You can find the link to the school app on our front page of the https://www.sgpspc.org.au  website 

Kind regards,

Elizabeth Tye
SGPS P&C
etye@sgpspc.org.au 

Welcome Back to a New Year of Band!

We are excited to start the year with enthusiastic students and a busy schedule. This week, we’ve been distributing instruments to our new band members and preparing for next week’s rehearsals. We’re pleased to share that over 40 students applied to join this year — fantastic news!

We are delighted to welcome Mr. Joshua Goddard as our new Performance Band Conductor. Mr. Goddard is eager to join us next week and will be working alongside Mrs. Skinner throughout the year.

•  Performance Band: 7:30 am – 8:45 am, Mondays and Thursdays  
•  Training Band: 7:30 am – 8:45 am, Tuesdays  
•  Concert Band: 7:30 am – 8:45 am, Wednesdays  

Please ensure your child arrives at least five minutes early to be ready to start on time.

We kindly ask parents to use Kiss and Drop rather than the School Staff Car Park, which is reserved for teachers and paid staff. If your child has a heavy instrument, you may walk up with them, but please avoid using the driveway, as it can become very busy with cars and delivery trucks in the mornings. Instead, please use the designated pathed walkway to ensure everyone’s safety.

Last term, the Performance Band performed three beautiful pieces at the Presentation Day at Cherrybrook Technology High School. We are very proud of how far they have come. Special thanks to Mrs. Skinner, who worked tirelessly with all three bands last year. We are grateful for her dedication, hard work, and passion!

Later this term, the Training Band will participate in the **Hot Cross Buns Festival**. We aim to have an event each term for our bands to look forward to!

A full calendar of upcoming events will be shared as the dates are confirmed.

Thank you for your continued support of our Band Program. We look forward to a wonderful year filled with music, growth, and fun!

Kind regards,
Band Co-ordinator Samuel Gilbert Public School Band

Welcome to term 1 2026.

The volunteer sign up is now available on the school app. Please help out and put a smile on your child’s face.

Flexischools is now up and running. Please sign up and follow the directions, so that your account is up and running correctly. Lunch orders can still be handed in at the counter before school with cash.

Thanks,
Jenelle, Sue and Kiarn

Welcome to 2026, I am Mr Hands, the Librarian at Samuel Gilbert Public School and I would like to invite all of you to attend our Thursday Morning Read session (see the section below for more information). I have been a school librarian for 7 years now, with this being my fourth year at Samuel Gilbert Public School. I believe all children should have access to quality books to read for pleasure and information, my goal is to make the library a fun, entertaining and informative location, where all students are welcome to come and interact with the books, displays and other members of Samuel Gilbert Public School in a beneficial manner. Those of you familiar with our library space may be interested to know that our animal and character displays have been completely updated – new, more detailed information accompanies each display with the number of individual displays being reduced. Don’t worry if your favourite animal group is no longer on display, it will return later in the year with new information added to it. All students are permitted to borrow up to 4 books at a time, however they must use a book bag to carry and protect their books, this bag may be the excursion bag available from the uniform shop, a canvas shopping bag or any other suitable bag, the only requirement is the books must fit inside the bag. If you have any concerns about lost, damaged or overdue books, please come and see me in the library before or after school to discuss what actions (if any) are needed to satisfy your concerns. The Premier’s Reading Challenge is starting very soon, please register your children to participate in this wonderful program, successful completion of the challenge will earn a certificate for your child’s efforts and, if the challenge is completed consistently across a number of years, a medallion at the end of the challenge. For more information, please read the Premier’s Reading Challenge section below.

We have had a great start to Term 1, we have a complete Lunar New Year display in the library, along with a complete collection of each year’s Lunar Zodiac animal on display in Lego. Visit the library to find out more about the Lunar New Year and the twelve zodiac animals of legend.

The Thursday Morning Read is back on this week and will be continuing every Thursday Morning at 8:20 am in the tiered Learning Space in the Library. All are welcome, students, siblings, parents, and grandparents, come along and listen to two fun stories before school. We will be reading some fun and entertaining books as well as some other books celebrating the many different cultural events that occur throughout the year. I look forward to seeing lots of you on Thursday morning.

If you are interested in helping out in the library, I often have books for covering. Keep an eye on the School App for notifications that there are books in need of covering. If you have some time, please pop in and see me for a bag of books and some clear contact to cover some of our new acquisitions for the library collection. This is a great opportunity to see some of the popular books that your children may be interested in borrowing and give you the opportunity to encourage them to borrow some new books to read.

The Premiers Reading Challenge opens on Monday 24 February 2026. Please use this information to access the Premier’s Reading Challenge to register your child/ren for the challenge:

2026 Key Dates:

Challenge opens: Monday 23 February 2026

Challenge closes to students: Friday 18 September 2026

Challenge closes to coordinators: Friday 25 September 2026

How to Log-on to the Premier’s Reading Challenge:

Log into the NSW Department of Education portal login page, students need to enter their username and password here.

If you do not know your username or password for the DET Portal, please speak to your child’s class teacher. 
 
 A link to the Premier’s Reading Challenge website can be found in the Student Portal under the Learning section.  Students are also able to add a link to the PRC in the My Link List section to make the PRC easier to find.  The URL to use is: 

Rules:

For all the rules and booklists for the Premier’s Reading Challenge, please visit the Premier’s Reading Challenge website. Rules for the Premier’s Reading Challenge can be found here: https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/rules.html Booklists can be found here: https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/booklist/home.html but make sure you read from the right level of books. If you have any questions, please, come and speak to me before or after school in the library.

Book Club 

(wk3) Monday 9 February – Issue 1 will be distributed to classes.

(wk4) Friday 20 February – Orders for Issue 1 close.

(wk6) Monday 2 March – Issue 2 will be distributed to classes.

(wk9) Monday 23 March – Orders for Issue 2 close.

Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC)

(wk5) Monday 23 February – Challenge opens.

Yours in reading,

Adam Hands
Librarian.
 

Week 3

Week 4

Friday, 19 February
PSSA Sport Trials Day