THE UPSIDE

28th August 2024 - ISSUE 13

News and updates from

Hon. Prue Car, MP, Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning, Visits Our School

We were honoured to host Hon. Prue Car, MP, Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning, and me at our school recently. They were highly impressed with the extraordinary explicit teaching that is a hallmark of our school’s approach to education. During their visit, they were thrilled to observe a literacy session led by Ms. Tatarynowicz, which showcased the dedication and expertise of our teaching staff.

Their positive feedback is a testament to the hard work and commitment of our entire school community. We are proud to continue delivering high-quality education that inspires and empowers our students.

SASS Recognition Week: Celebrating our Support Staff

This week, we proudly celebrate SASS Recognition Week, a time to acknowledge and express our gratitude for the incredible work of our School Administrative and Support Staff (SASS). These dedicated individuals are the backbone of our school, ensuring everything runs smoothly behind the scenes.

From managing the front office, supporting our students in the classroom, maintaining our school grounds, and keeping our facilities in top shape, the contributions of our SASS team are invaluable. Their hard work, dedication, and commitment to our school community make a significant difference every day.

Please join us in thanking our SASS team for their ongoing support and tireless efforts. We appreciate all that you do!

Staffing Update

I am pleased to announce that Vanessa Finlayson has been successful through the Expression of Interest process for the dual role of Assistant Principal Curriculum Instruction (APCI) and Assistant Principal Stage 1 for the remainder of the year.

Vanessa brings over 25 years of teaching experience in both government and independent schools. Most recently, she has been working at the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) on curriculum reform, where she has gained a deep working knowledge of the new primary syllabuses. 

We are thrilled to welcome Vanessa to our school community and look forward to the expertise and insights she will bring to these important roles.

A heartfelt thank you to the families and students who joined us for Doreen’s farewell assembly. She was overwhelmed by the love and support from our school community and was deeply honoured to receive her retirement medallion. Your presence made the occasion even more special.

Reminder: Submit Applications for Extended Leave in Advance

I would like to remind all families that applications for extended leave must be submitted through SchoolBytes and at least two weeks before the intended leave date. This advance notice allows us to process your request efficiently and ensures that we can make any necessary arrangements to support your child's continued learning during their absence.

Your cooperation in submitting these applications on time is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions or need assistance with the process, please don't hesitate to contact Vanessa in the school office.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Addressing Bullying: Resources for Our School Community

At our school, we take all reports of bullying very seriously. We are committed to ensuring a safe and supportive environment for all students. To address any incidents of bullying, we follow the Department's Student Behaviour Policy and our school's Anti-Bullying Plan.

Bullying can be a challenging topic for parents and I often get asked how parents can support their child at home when they are experiencing conflict with friends.

To help navigate this issue, I encourage everyone to explore these free, counsellor-developed and approved resources. They cover important topics such as how to be an upstander and understanding the differences between mean behavior, rudeness, conflict, and bullying. These resources are available for students, parents, and the wider school community.

To kick start Book Week celebrations, students participated in Drop Everything and Read or DEAR time for 15 minutes. This is a perfect opportunity for everyone—kids and adults alike—to relax, unwind, and get lost in a good story. Remember, reading sparks creativity, builds vocabulary, and can take you to worlds you've never imagined. As they say Reading is Magic!

Students participated in Storytime and made their own magical wands in line with the theme Reading is Magic. Our Library monitors also did a fantastic job in assisting our younger students in creating these magical wands!

This was a special event where students were able to read stories from their culture and share them with younger students. This allowed students to journey through stories and explore the rich tapestry of cultures at our school! Thank you Ms Jankovic and Ms Karri for leading these sessions.

On Thursday (after scripture), the whole school participated in Buddy reading sessions where they read quality children's books. This initiative, pairs older students with younger ones, fostering a love for reading while building strong, supportive relationships across different year levels. The Year 5 & 6 students read to Year 1 & 2 students and Years 3 & 4 read with their Kindergarten buddies. 

To celebrate Australian School Libraries Day, Ms Parry read two of her favourite books to a captivated audience, and our students were absolutely enchanted. It's clear that our kids love books just as much as we do.

Wow, what an incredible time we had at our Book Week Parade! Our students truly brought their favourite characters to life with some of the most creative and amazing costumes we’ve ever seen. From classic fairy tales, Roald Dahl favourites, graphic novels and even modern-day heroes, the parade was a colourful celebration of the stories that inspire us all. A huge thank you to all the parents, teachers, and students who put so much effort into making this day magical. The creativity on display was absolutely outstanding, and it was wonderful to see everyone’s love for reading shine through in such a fun and vibrant way.

The fun doesn’t stop here….let’s keep the Book Week spirit alive and continue encouraging our students to dive into the world of books!

K-2 Author Visit: Sean E Avery

Sean E Avery is a primary school art teacher, author-illustrator, and designer born in South Africa; living in Perth, Western Australia. Nationally, he’s best known as the creator of best-selling children’s picture books, All Monkeys Love Bananas and Frank's Red Hat. His picture book, Happy as a Hog Out of Mud, won the 2022 WAYRBA Picture Book of the Year Award and Frank’s Red Hat won the 2023 CBCA Shadow Judges and WAYRBA Picture Book of the Year awards and was shortlisted for the 2023 Indie, Taco and CBCA Picture Book of the Year Award. His books have been translated into Arabic, Mandarin, French, Korean, German and Danish.

 Kindergarten students will listen to Sean teach the conventions of comic marking and his inspiration for his stories. Year 1 & 2 students will participate in 1-hour mini comic workshop and graphic storytelling session. Students can create their own mini-comics in class. Kids will be guided through the following process:

 • Character creation and development
 • Story structure and pacing
 • Comic lettering and panelling
 • Tips for self-publishing

Please ensure you give permission for your child to attend this incursion no later than Wednesday 6th September.

We look forward to welcoming Sean E Avery to our school.

Literacy and Numeracy Week is an annual event to encourage and celebrate literacy and numeracy.

The activity sheet outlines a range of creative games that you may play with your children at home to encourage and value literacy and numeracy. ln-week-activities-home.pdf

Congratulations to all the students who attended the Balmain Zone Athletics Carnival on Friday 16th August. The students of Ultimo Public School represented our school with pride and everyone tried their hardest on the track and field. A special mention to July B for placing 3rd in discus, Henrie P for placing 3rd in 8yr old 100m and Destin N for placing 3rd in high jump. Both Henrie and Destin are off to the Regional Athletics Carnival to represent our zone. We wish them the best of luck.

Kindergarten have been using musical instruments to explore sound and having fun reading with our Buddies.

Congratulations to Ethan T and his Sydney Comets representative basketball team winning the NSW state championships tournament a couple of weekends ago. Ethan is a keen basketballer who played a valuable role in helping his team become state champions during this tournament. Watch out for Ethan in the years to come on your TV screens playing in the NBL. 

A huge thank you to all the families who came out to support the children who danced in the DanceSport Gala Night on Tuesday 27th August. After 15 weeks of dance lessons the students put on a sensational performance and they looked outstanding on the night. The students have not only learnt the moves to the cha cha, jive, salsa and tango, but they have learned resilience and how to have respectful relationships with their peers. 

A huge congratulations to our finalists Tom R and Kiah D who were top 10 out of 1000 students in the salsa. Along with our other finalists who all placed in the top 20: Alyssa Z and Ethan C (Jive), Myka C and Arthur K (Tango) and Ezra B and Sofia P (Cha Cha). What a huge achievement! 

Thank you to Mr Lavender, Miss Wickham and Mrs Parry who came out to watch and support the students.

A special mention to Miss Pentney for organising the program and working with the students leading up to the night. 

On behalf of Ultimo PS we wanted to wish Destiny from Stage 2 and Clara from Stage 3 a big congratulations for their outstanding efforts at the Premier’s Spelling Bee 2024 Regional Finals, which was held on Thursday 15 August. 

Both Clara and Destiny represented our school with poise and determination. Destiny advanced to round 4 and was eliminated on the word "Nullarbor," while Clara impressively made it to round 6 before being eliminated on the word "guile." 

Well done girls, you should be very proud of your accomplishments.

Ultimo Public School is participating in Jump Rope for Heart this year!

It is a five week program that encourages students to have a positive attitude towards exercise, healthy eating and heart health.

If you would like to raise money to fight heart disease, please register using the link 

General Expectations

COLA

Announcing the P&C Father’s Day raffle! Lots of amazing prizes to be won for your family!

Please get involved, buy some tickets/share with your friends and family! All funds raised will go towards upgrading the school facilities via the P&C fundraising efforts.

Thursday 29th August K Olympia Assembly

Monday 2nd September Premier's Debating Challenge Zone

Wednesday 4th September Indigenous Literacy Day

Friday 6th September Sean E Avery Author visit (K-2)

Tuesday 24th September Stage 2 Ranger Jamie Geography Incursion

Thursday 12th September R U OK? Day 

Thursday 19th September 5/6 London Assembly 

Thursday 26th September K Sydney Assembly

Friday 27 September Last Day Term 3

Monday 14 October First Day Term 4

Thursday 17 October at The Point Hotel, Pyrmont. Funds raised go to Christmas in Pyrmont for donation to local charities.

$30 Entry Charge. Free drink on arrival.

Can have teams of between 2 and 8. Attendees can also be allocated to teams.

The Quiz starts at 7pm and people can arrive from about 6pm if having dinner beforehand.

There will be a few other games to play as well as a raffle which will be drawn on the night.

Bookings can be made with Carol Limmer on cal06@ymail.com. Any queries can also be raised with Carol.