We are a Spectacular school. That is the honour we can claim by being included in the biggest yearly event in performing arts for NSW public education. The 2025 Schools Spectacular themed “Remarkable’ will be held at Qudos Bank Arena on 28 and 29 November. Best wishes to our ‘remarkable’ student performers and the school coordinator, Mrs Spears, for being selected to be part of this awesome event.  

Congratulations to the following Year 5 students selected by their peers to be prefects for 2026: Asher T, Blake M, Caressa P, Emily W, Joel R, Kailen R, Kirsten L, Lachlan M, Lara M and  Parnia S. Yesterday, these courageous students offered speeches to staff and students to enable voting for a boy and girl student captain for next year. That result will be announced at the school presentation assembly in December.

Many additional student leadership opportunities will be available for all of our Year 6, 2026 students.
 

Our local State Member Mr Mark Hodges MP invited students within his electorate to participate in the 2025 Christmas Card Competition. Three of our talented students were the runners-up: Alice S (5L), Diya P (6H), and Connor Z (5L). Their artwork is proudly featured on Mr Hodges’ official Parliamentary Christmas card. Mr Hodges states he is thrilled to share their creativity with the community. Each student will receive a Community Recognition Award and a shopping centre gift voucher.

Our very own Mr Eric Lau was judged as the ‘2025 GWS Teacher of the Year’ by the AFL’s Greater Western Sydney Giants Organisation. Mr Lau was awarded this honour through a commitment to coaching and encouraging students to achieve their personal best both on and off the field. Congratulations to Mr Lau on this well-deserved recognition!

Many thanks to those parents who have already notified the office about their child starting Kindergarten in 2026. If any current SGPS parent has a child who will be starting school next year or if any of our families have neighbours in that position, please inform them Samuel Gilbert PS is now taking enrolments for next year. It is important to get enrolments in as soon as possible as this assists our planning for 2026. Enrolment forms are available online https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/going-to-a-public-school/enrolment/primary-school-enrolment

Are you moving away or transferring from Samuel Gilbert PS area at the end of the year? Later this school term we begin the process of drafting class lists for the ensuing school year. In doing so it is important that we have the latest information regarding the potential movement of students and families. If your family is likely to be moving away from the district towards/at the end of the school year and is unlikely to be returning to the school, could I ask that you kindly advise our school office in writing/email as soon as possible? This will significantly assist our preparations for the 2026 school year.

Our P&C held the AGM last week. At the meeting Mrs Katie Pike announced she would be stepping down from the presidency but assisting on the executive committee. On behalf of the school community, I extend a huge thank you to Mrs Pike for the tireless hours she has placed in making an impact to our school especially for our students. 

A warm welcome to Ms Paddy Jessing who was elected as the incoming president. Already Ms Jessing has proven to be active in our school community for a number of years. 

Thank you to all families who have contributed to their Term 4 Statement of Account. As you know your contribution allows us to offer quality educational experiences and activities for our students. If you are yet to contribute to your account, I would be grateful if you could do so as soon as possible so that school finances can be finalised by the end of the year. Please contact the school office on 8855 9500 if you wish to discuss any items on your account.

We very much appreciate your support to enhance your child’s experience at school.

I encourage any parent or carer with difficulty paying their school statement to contact me to confidentially discuss options. 

Please refer to the link below regarding items that I shared with attendees at last week’s P&C meeting regarding parent and carer contributions to the school. 

https://assets.schools.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/doe/sws/schools/s/samuelgilb-p/Documents/School%20Guidelines%20on%20Refunds.pdf

In 2026 the school is intending to have a camp for Years 5 & 6, a maximum one excursion or incursion per term. Fundraising will also take place for two charities nominated by the SRC. We will also run offsite carnivals for athletics and swimming. Amongst other events, PSSA and performing arts opportunities will continue next year and your child will participant once you offer consent. Why this is mentioned, all these experiences should incur a cost and therefore a request for a contribution should your child participate in any of them. The cost may be venue or event hire and possible transport to and from the venue. A 2026 stationery list will be provided for each student and will not request that you pay for items for communal use. A voluntary contribution of $51 will also appear on your statement.

With the end of the school year approaching some classes will be offering learning activities relating to Christmas over the next month. If you do not wish your child to be part of these activities, please email the school or forward a note to your child’s teachers. It is also common for some children to want to share Christmas cards and treats such as lollies (candy canes) with their friends. Please be mindful this can cause some disruption to regular classroom activities and present issuing to children with allergies and special dietary requirements.  

Greg McLaren
PRINCIPAL

We are looking forward to celebrating student achievement at our annual Presentation Assembly on Wednesday 10 December.  If you have not given permission for your child to attend please ensure that this is finalised by the end of this week. If parents did not indicate on the returned permission that they intended to collect their child directly from the venue we have presumed these students will be returning to school on the bus. Any change to this arrangement must be made by no later than Friday 21 November. 

Allocated ticket sales have been finalised and general tickets are available from our administration office. These can be purchased on your behalf by students - $8.00 each with a limit of 2 per family due to space restrictions. Families of children receiving awards have been notified. 

General seating will be on a first come first served basis but we ask parents to be considerate and fill the rows rather than leaving single seats in the centre of rows. We are hopeful of providing seating to all families who wish to attend. 

Please bear in mind that parking around Cherrybrook Technology High School is fairly limited. 

If you are unable to be there the event will be live streamed. The link to the live stream will be sent via the app prior to the assembly along with a program and a list of additional reminders to ensure students and families are prepared for the day. Congratulations to all students who will be recognised for their achievements at this assembly.

Last Friday the Senior Boys Touch Football team, Senior Girls and Boys Softball teams and Junior Boys and Girls Tee Ball teams competed in the PSSA Semi Finals. Unfortunately both the Girls Softball and Tee Ball teams lost in close games but we congratulate them on an excellent season. 

The boys will compete in their grand Finals this Friday. We wish them the very best of luck. 

Thank you to all teachers who took PSSA teams this term and provided this opportunity for our students.

PE, Food Technology, French, Design and Technology, Business Studies and Visual Arts are just some of the subjects enjoyed by students at our Mock High School this week. Thanks to Mrs Medcalf for coordinating this opportunity for our Year 6 students so that they can get a feel for High School life and also to the Year 6 teachers, Mrs Corso, Mrs Percossi and Mr Lau for preparing and teaching the different lessons. The students were totally engaged and certainly seemed ready to embrace the new structure of learning that awaits them next year. Congratulations Year 6!

A reminder to all families of current Year 3 and 5 students that applications for Opportunity Class and Selective School placement in 2027 are now open. 

The final weeks of primary school are an exciting time for our Year 6 students and on Tuesday 2 December all NSW public high schools and a number of private high schools will be holding their Year 7 Orientation programs. We know our Year 6 students will enjoy this experience and we hope all are able to attend on this day. We look forward to hearing about their experience on their return to school. 

Miss Stacey is now finalising Before School Dance groups for 2026 and hopes to have the lists ready to go out on the school app next week. 

Please explain to your children that the standard of auditions was extremely high and there is simply not enough positions for everyone. We will run some teacher led dance groups as well next year. We hope there is not too much disappointment but encourage children to try again next year. 

A reminder that children in Before School dance this year require a costume for Presentation Assembly that is black, red and white. We look forward to seeing their combined item at our Presentation Assembly.

The SRC and Student Leadership team are keen to support the Salvation Army’s “Generosity Challenge” by collecting essential pantry items (as listed on the attached flyer) to help fill Christmas hampers for struggling families. Christmas is just around the corner bringing with it the joy of family, friendship and giving. If you are able to spread that joy to others less fortunate than ourselves it would be appreciated. We will place a tub in the foyer of the office if you are able to help by donating a food item off the list. We appreciate any kindness you can offer.

In the past week we have had several notifications from local community members of students putting themselves at risk on their way home from school. Please do not allow your children to cross Ridgecrop Drive or Gilbert Road at any point other than the controlled pedestrian crossing ( Ridgecrop Drive) or lights ( Gilbert Road). 

Parents who cross Ridgecrop Drive in front of the school are setting a poor example to our students and putting them at risk. 

Students riding bikes are expected to go directly home. They should not be stopping at the shops or taking bikes into the centre. 

We ask parents to speak to children about the way they travel home from school and the expectations school and families have to keep them safe.

Cathie Barclay and Gilliane Appave
DEPUTY PRINCIPALS

Samuel Gilbert Public School recognises that all students should be known, valued and cared for. Every child should be given the opportunity to be engaged and challenged at school so they can grow and succeed. Having a strong focus on high expectations ensures a whole school learning culture is established, encouraging quality learning for all students.

Students with high potential are found in all schools and from all backgrounds. By targeting students’ individual needs, learning can be grouped in useful ways, known as differentiation. Providing a range of opportunities enables more students to develop their abilities.

Support your child according to their age. Some ideas include:

• provide explorative activities in your child’s areas of interest
• engage in discussions and conversations about the world around them
• encourage questioning, exploration and curiosity
• place value on learning
• monitor play activities to ensure a healthy balance, particularly when younger
• discuss how learning is about making mistakes, struggling at times, and not always about being the best at everything all the time. Try using role model examples in their area of interest, so they understand that life doesn’t always give them what they expect
• praise and celebrate effort – working together to understand that effort and achieving one’s personal best are important in maintaining a healthy perspective. Try discussing characters from the books they are reading to highlight the types of behaviours that return positive outcomes
• champion your child’s successes and coach them through their setbacks – point out that mistakes are evidence of learning and experiencing struggle often encourages resilience, persistence and eventual success. Try discussing the great inventions we experience in life today, which are thanks to those who paved the way in making mistakes and yet persisting despite initial failures
• work on areas of strength without ignoring those areas which also need support
• access extra-curricular opportunities

Amanda Keane
Assistant Principal, Curriculum and Instruction

Thank you to all those parents and carers who attended the P&C AGM and General meeting last Tuesday evening. It was great to see some familiar and new faces. Thank you also to the School Executive for your attendance at the P&C and your continued support.  

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our 2025 outgoing P&C President, Katie Pike. As P&C President, Katie has overseen the management of the P&C and every aspect of its activity and events since 2023 and before that as Treasurer. Katie has worked tirelessly for the benefit for our school community and while Katie will continue as part of the 2026 P&C Executive, we would like to acknowledge her dedication to the P&C as an office-bearer. On behalf of our school community, thank you Katie for all your time and effort in ensuring the operational success of the P&C in service of our school community.  

During the AGM, all positions were vacated, and we would like to congratulate the following parents on their appointments to the P&C in 2026:

Election of 2024-25 SGPS P&C Executive Committee

• President               - Paddy Jessing (Year 5, 3 & Kindy)
• Vice President       - Lauren Wright (Year 5, 3 and 1) and Jason Atkins (Year 1)
• Treasurer               - Alan Sivandi (Kindy)
• Secretary                - VACANT 
• Executive Committee - Fiona Young (Year 4), Michelle Pratley (Year 4), Angela Curtis (Year 5 and 2), Sally Sivandi (Kindy), Katie Pike (Year 6 and 4) and Elizabeth Tye (Year 6 and 4)

Election of 2025-26 SGPS P&C Canteen Committee 

• Chairperson – VACANT
• Secretary – VACANT
• Treasurer – VACANT

Election of 2024-25 SGPS P&C Band Committee 

• Chairperson – Greg Pratley 
• School Co-ordinator – Cathie Barclay 
• Secretary – Elizabeth Tye 
• Treasurer – Levania Lao  

Election of 2024-25 SGPS P&C Uniform Shop Committee

• Chairperson – VACANT
• Secretary – VACANT 
• Treasurer – VACANT

We have a number of vacancies in 2026. Can you help?

• Secretary: This is an office-bearer role and requires someone who is organised with strong administration skills. It is a perfect role to observe the P&C from the inside. We would welcome anyone who is interested to know more to contact Katie at katie.pike@sgpspc.org.au.
• Canteen and Uniform Shop Sub-Committee: Are you interested in supporting our Canteen or Uniform shop? We are heading into 2026 without either subcommittee of parent volunteers to manage these important services. While the P&C has engaged a business manager, we have seen less parent volunteers in these areas in 2025 which means that it is costing the P&C more to provide the services of the Uniform Shop and the Canteen to our community. Volunteers allow the P&C to provide cost-effective services to our school community. We would invite our parents & carers to consider if you can assist or you have any questions about what it means to be involved in these sub-committees, please reach out to our P&C President, Paddy, on president@sgpspc.org.au.

Saturday 29th November 2025:   3pm – 8:30pm

In just over a week, our school community will be coming together for the Twilight Fete – and you are invited! Bring your family and friends and enjoy this wonderful family friendly event. A very big thank you to all our Fete Committee members who have been working tirelessly to make this event a success. This event however is not possible without the help of every Samuel Gilbert family. Please support our school by volunteering and together, let us make this event memorable for your child and your family.  

Rides: You can pre-purchase ride armbands, which allow unlimited access to the rides. Pre-purchased armbands are $40 each and are sold until next Friday 28 November. Armbands are $45 on Fete Day and individual tickets for rides are $10 each. You can purchase your unlimited ride bands here:  https://www.trybooking.com/DDXYL. 

Please note, carnival games are not included with the unlimited armbands, and tickets must be purchased separately on the day of the Great Fete for these attractions.

The Giant Raffle: The Giant Raffle will be drawn at the Great Fete on the new date. All your sold tickets are in the barrel and are being kept safely. You can still purchase raffle tickets online here: https://www.trybooking.com/DENET

The Upcycle Stall: Need to do a pre-Christmas clean-up of your place? Start getting all your unwanted pre-loved items ready for donation cause we’re doing the Upcycle Stall again!!! All items donated need to be in excellent condition/like new/in working order. We are accepting toys, games, crockery/cutlery, books, DVD’s, CD’s, vinyl records, household items, home décor, linen, small appliances, outdoor games, clothes & shoes (no underwear).

Collection Dates: 

• Saturday 22nd Nov       2pm-4pm
• Sunday 23rd Nov           2pm-4pm
• Wednesday 26th           1.30pm-4pm

Cake Donations: We are looking for donations for the cake stall at the Fete – if you are able to make some home-baked goodies, please complete this form: Great Fete 2025 Twilight Event - Cake Stall  – Fill out form

Toy Donations:  We are continuing to contribute to the Manor Toy Drive as they support the Ronald McDonald House charity, run by our Great Fete Principal Sponsors, Manor Real Estate. On Fete day, Toy donations can be made to the Wishing Tree located in the School Hall. Thank you for your support.

Volunteer: This event cannot happen without all our families helping. Please consider what time you can volunteer to make this event a success:  https://signup.com/go/WLfTDuA 

 Please connect with our Great Fete socials for more information (and to help get the news out to the community): https://facebook.com/sgpsgreatfete https://instagram.com/greatfete

Who doesn’t love inflatables and colour and Christmas all in one?! The P&C is spreading the joy of the upcoming holiday season with a Christmas themed Fun Run.  A big thank you to Lauren Wright and Jason Atkins for coordinating this event. A note with all the details will follow shortly. 

Have you used all your Munch Monitor Funds yet? The P&C recently advised that we are switching from MunchMonitor to Flexischools commencing 2026. This means that Munch Monitor will conclude at the end of Term 4, 2025 and all remaining funds should be used prior to the end of the school year. 

The decision to transition to Flexischools was made at a P&C meeting this year, and was based on a number of factors:

• The benefits and additional functionality Flexischools would provide to assist in the operational efficiency of both the canteen and uniform shops (which were not provided by Munch Monitor);
• The ease of use of the Flexischools app for parents and the community;
• The reduced fees charged to the P&C for the use of Flexischools compared to Munch Monitor, enabling us to keep prices lower for longer;
• The fee structure provided for parents under Flexischools, based on a fee per order rather than a flat fee per term under Munch Monitor.  This works out as a reduction in fees for most families in the school (based on current usage); and
• Flexischools is the most commonly used online ordering platform in schools in Australia, including Castle Hill Public School and Castle Hill High School.

Thank you for your support as we transition to Flexischools in the new year. 

· Final 2025 P&C Meeting – Tuesday 9^th December in the Library 

· Twilight Fete: Saturday 29^th November 3pm-8:30pm  

· Fun Run – Monday 8^th December – Christmas Themed    

· 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 

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

In Week 5, alongside our regular rehearsals, we conducted instrument testing for our new   intake of students for 2026. Special thanks to Mrs. Skinner, with the help of volunteers   Briony Geekie and Ben Miesch, for their time and support—it was greatly appreciated.

In Week 6, we will continue with some call-backs to confirm instrument placements before sending out offers, which we hope to do by the end of the week.

If you missed the dates for enrolling your child for Training Band next year please contact Mr Pratley at sgpsbandcoordinator@gmail.com now so your child doesn’t miss this valuable opportunity.

• Thursday, 20th & 27th November: Rehearsal for all students playing at the Fete, from 8:00 to 8:30 am. It is very important that the students attend.
• Regular rehearsals for Performance Band will also occur at 7:30 am on these dates.

• Training Band: Tuesday, 2nd December
• Concert Band: Wednesday, 3rd December
• Performance Band: Monday, 8th December

• Week 7: Fete Performance – a combined Concert and Performance Band will perform at 3:15 pm on Saturday, 29 November.
• Week 8: Christmas Morning Tea for residents of an over-55’s retirement village on Tuesday, 2nd December, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am Training Band Performing.
• End of Year Band Celebration on Thursday, 4 December, from 7:30 am to 9:00 am in the Old Hall, featuring all three bands. Parents and Families are most welcome to join us.
• Week 9: Performance Band will perform at Presentation Day on Wednesday, 10th December.

The SGPS Band Program has been a valued part of our school community for many years. It relies heavily on parent and carer volunteers.

As some committee members’ children are moving on to high school, we are seeking five parents of students in Years 3 and 4 in 2026 to join our committee.

Meetings are held online once a term, and no musical experience is necessary—just a passion for supporting our band program!

If you're interested, please email the SGPS Band Coordinator at sgpsbandcoordinator@gmail.com 

Your support helps ensure our band continues to thrive. We look forward to welcoming new members!

Band Co-ordinator
Samuel Gilbert Public School Band

On Monday and Tuesday this week, students from Year 6 had the opportunity to participate in our annual Mock High School program. The subjects on offer this year were Science, Mathematics, Food Technology, Ancient History, PD/H/PE, Business Studies, Design and Technology, French and Visual Arts. The feedback I received from our Year 6 students was overwhelming positive, and everyone engaged exceptionally well in these lessons. A huge thanks must go to our Year 6 teachers along with the support of Mr Lau, Mrs Corso and Mrs Percossi for bringing this program to life. We hope that the transition to high school is a happy and successful one for all of our students.  

Mrs N. Medcalf (Mock High School Coordinator) 

As this is Week 6 it is the final week of borrowing for the year, as we move into the end of the term I would like to take this opportunity to ask all families to please check around their house, under beds and on shelves for any books that need to be returned to the school library. I shall soon be sending home overdue notices, if you have any questions or need any clarifications please contact me to discuss next steps to resolve any issues.

The Term 4 Treasure Hunt has concluded, there have been 19 different book characters are hiding around the Library, all you had to do was match the character to the author who created them on the Treasure Hunt list, collect the letters to solve the riddle and then collect your prize.

A huge, special thankyou to all the families who collected a bag of books for covering, these books will be added to the library collection and will be available for borrowing next year.

Even though borrowing will end in Week 6, allowing time for lost or misplaced books to be located and returned, it will also afford me time to organise the books and prepare the library for 2026, lessons will continue as normal through to the end of the year and the Library will also remain open at lunchtimes Monday to Thursday each week.

If any parents have any questions about book recommendations or reading suggestions, please feel free to pop in to see me for a friendly chat, I am available each morning from 8:15am until the bell rings and most afternoons (except Tuesday) from 3:00pm until 3:30pm.

If you are interested in helping out in the library, I always have books for 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.

Leigh Hobbs is an Australian artist and author. He is best known in Australia and the United Kingdom for the humorous children's books which he has written and illustrated, although he has produced works across a wide range of mediums. His books principally feature the characters Old Tom, Horrible Harriet, Fiona the Pig, Mr Badger and Mr Chicken, and characters from the 4F for FREAKS books. 

Leigh Hobbs's children's books are often described as working on a number of levels and could be seen as gently subversive. For example, Hobbs's most popular creation, Old Tom, is a grotesque one-eyed cat, but the word cat is never used in the books. Old Tom's 'owner' a prim matron like character called Angela Throgmorton thinks of Old Tom as her 'son' and the stories revolve around her efforts to socialise this creature who is in fact like a seven-year-old boy trying to break free of a mother’s constraints.

Recently I have been approached by some parents wishing to donate books to the library. I am happy to accept donations for evaluation, following the below procedure:

1. Books are checked for their health, any that are damaged or defaced are usually recycled.
2. Books that are of good quality but not suitable for addition due to already existing in the collection, are not age appropriate or are too old are saved for donation to a community library.
3. Books that are of good quality and fulfil a niche within the collection are then accessioned and added to the library collection.

A big reminder to everyone, please make sure you keep your books safe in your library bag and remember to bring them back to school on your library day.

The Thursday Morning Read has been growing in popularity with more new faces appearing each week, it is on 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. 

The NSW Premier's Reading Challenge closed to student entries on Friday 19 September.

All student records have been confirmed and approved. 

Certificates will be sent out to schools sometime in Term 4, they will be handed out to students at an appropriate time.

If you have any questions, please, come and speak to me before or after school in the library.

Hornsby Shire Libraries will soon be launching the Big Summer Read, Australia’s biggest library supported reading challenge for kids and teens aged 0-18.

To celebrate the launch of the Big Summer Read, we are very excited to be hosting children’s author Nat Amoore on Wednesday 3 December, 4:30pm – 5:30pm, Hornsby Library.

Nat Amoore is the bestselling author of Secrets of a Schoolyard Millionaire, We Run Tomorrow, and the Shower Land series. She is all about big ideas, big laughs and big fun!

Further information can be found on our website at Big Summer Read Meet the Author - Nat Amoore or please find attached a copy of our promotional flyer. Hard copies can be provided on request.

We would appreciate it if the details of this session could be brought to the attention of the parents of the children who attend your school.

For further enquiries, the Children’s and Youth Services library staff can be contacted on 9847 6107 during business hours or at cyslibrary@hornsby.nsw.gov.au. 

Kind regards,

Penny Connelly
Children's & Youth Services Co-ordinator | Library & Community Services |Hornsby Shire Council
p 02 9847 6107 | e pconnelly@hornsby.nsw.gov.au | whornsby.nsw.gov.au

• Week 6            17-21 November – Final week for Borrowing

• Week 6            Issue 8 handed out
• Week 8            Monday 1^st December Issue 8 orders close

Yours in reading,

Adam Hands,
Librarian

Week 7
Monday, 24 November
School Spectacular Castle Glen pre-school visit 9am-10:30am
Tuesday, 25 November
School Spectacular Rehearsal
Wednesday, 26 November
Trischools Debate Round 6 Castle Hill PS hosting
School Spectacular Technicolour Rehearsal
Thursday, 27 November
School Spectacular Rehearsal
Friday, 28 November
School Spectacular Matinee and Evening performance
Saturday, 29 November
School Spectacular Performance 12pm-9:30pm
The Great Fete 3pm-8:30pm 

Week 8
Monday, 1 December
House Captains Elections
Tuesday, 2 December
High School Open Day for Year 6
Training Band performance at retirement village
Wednesday, 3 December
Ethan West visit year 6 
Thursday, 4 December
Combined scripture service and parent helper morning tea
Band breakfast at 7:30am
Network student voices 1:30-2:30pm
Friday, 5 December
Teddy's Picnic Kindergarten