Thank you to the many people who attended the anniversary celebration last Friday evening. A most memorable event that received a lot of positive feedback from the blend of past and current students, school staff and families. Memorabilia in the old hall was a favourite experience for most. The fireworks were a sensational finale for the night offering those onsite and the entire neighbourhood entertainment. Our P&C offered refreshments for attendees and glowing items for children in attendance. Our student musicians provided entertainment including an impressive piece created specifically for the event by band director, Mrs Heather Skinner. Former student and now parent, Mr Michael Foschcolo, spoke well about his memories and provided a great reflection on the school purpose during his speech.

A huge thank you to Deputy Principal, Ms Barclay, for coordinating the event with the strong support from P&C President, Ms Paddy Jessing and current school staff and P&C members.

Yesterday our Year 5 students went off to camp. The experience offers challenges for our students with their personal development and their health. Thank you to the supervising teachers diligently keeping our students safe for the entire camp. We hope they are having a great time. Year 6 will experience the three-day camp to Broken Bay SRC in week 9 of this school term.

Next week our Kindergarten and Year 1 students will engage in the Annual K-1 Spring Carnival. A variety of novelty activities will complement the running races. We hope families are available to cheer on our budding junior athletes. Thank you to Mrs Buckley and Miss Johns for coordinating this event.

Spreading the illustrious name of Samuel Gilbert PS further in the greater community this term are our many choral, dance and instrumental groups. This is a great opportunity for our students to shine. Whether it is the Festival of Choral Music, Hills Performing Arts Festival, School Spectacular or Platinum Dance Competition, to name a few. Thank you to our supervising teachers taking on additional unpaid duties as conductors and event co-ordinators, and thank you to our volunteer parents.  

Tomorrow a survey will be sent to school families via the School App to ascertain your opinion about the fortnightly school newsletter. We encourage you to offer your feedback.

Many thanks to those parents who have already notified the office about their child starting Kindergarten in 2027. If any current Samuel Gilbert PS 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 2027. Enrolment forms are available online https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/going-to-a-public-school/enrolment/primary-school-enrolment

I extend my wish for a fun-filled day on Sunday week to all our families. Most will have an opportunity to pay respect to that significant male figure in children’s lives. Dads and grandfathers put your feet up and rest at some stage throughout the day.

Thank you to our generous P&C who will next Friday 4^th September provide a great tribute to dads and other significant male figures at the annual Fathers’ Day Breakfast. Jersey Day will be on that same day, Friday, 4 September.

Next week, kind parent volunteers representing the P&C will provide the students with an opportunity to purchase some Fathers’ Day items ensuring all dads will be well and truly spoilt on Sunday week.

Greg McLaren 
PRINCIPAL

Last Friday night was certainly a night to remember as we celebrated Samuel Gilbert Public School’s 40^th anniversary. It was a true community event with P&C, parent volunteers and school staff all contributing  to make it a special evening for our students and community. 

Special thanks to Paddy Jessing and the P&C for their support and additional organisation of the evening and the volunteers who gave up their time on the BBQ and various stalls. 

Thanks also to Miss Parker’s Preschool for their sponsorship of a cupcake for every student. These were a huge hit with the students and set the tone for a happy Samuel Gilbert “birthday” celebration. 

Congratulations to the band on an outstanding performance and thanks to Mrs Skinner for her composition of A Pioneering Spirit which was a highlight of the evening. 

We hope all who attended enjoyed the evening and the spectacular fireworks display which concluded the night. 

Congratulations to all Year 3 - 6 students who competed in the grade finals of the Public Speaking Competition. You all did an amazing job with all speeches engaging and well prepared and presented.

Last week we held the Stage Finals of Our Hills Public Speaking Finals in our new hall.

The competition was a valuable opportunity for our students to develop their public speaking skills, build confidence and learn from other talented speakers in our school.

The quality and calibre of the speeches presented was outstanding and all of our speakers represented their Stages with confidence, enthusiasm on a range of topics.

Congratulations to all the students who participated in our Finals and we commend them for their preparation, courage and willingness to step outside of their comfort zone.

A huge congratulations goes to our winners - Zachary B. Yr3, Keaton W. Yr4, Aiden W. Yr5 and Blake M. Yr6. These students will go on to represent Samuel Gilbert in the Hills Public Speaking Finals to be held at Dural Public School on Tuesday September 22nd September.

We wish them the best of luck in the Finals against 15 other schools from across the Hills Region.

A special thank you also goes out to the teachers and families who supported and encouraged our speakers throughout the competition.

Jerome Wicks

Pubic Speaking Coordinator

Congratulations to students who represented Samuel Gilbert at the Zone Athletics Carnival on Monday.  Congratulations to Aria F. (Girls 11 years 800 and 1500 m), Celine H.(12 years 800 and 200m) and Kyra G. (12 years Shot Put) who will represent Castle Hill Zone at the SW Carnival on Thursday 24 September at Sydney Athletic Centre, Sydney Olympic Park. 

Good luck to the Senior Girls Netball team who are hoping to play the regional final against Kings Langley PS next week. 

Congratulations to Miss Stacey’s Dance Groups who performed last Sunday at the Hills Dance Spectacular. All groups did us proud in very competitive sections with the Boys Group placing a very commendable third. 

Stage 1, 2 and 3 groups also performed on Tuesday evening at the Hills Performing Arts Festival at the Evan Theatre in Penrith. Congratulations to all three groups who did an outstanding job. 

Congratulations also to Mrs Medcalf’s Year 4 choir who formed part of the massed choir at the Hills Performing Arts Festival and to Mrs Medcalf herself, who selected the repertoire and led the choir for this event. A wonderful performance, well done everyone. 

Next week the P&C will be providing students with the opportunity to purchase gifts for dad from the Fathers’ Day stall on Tuesday 1^st September or Wednesday 2^nd September.   The timetable for this event will be sent via the app.

On Friday 4 September students are able to wear a jersey over their sports uniform/school uniform if they wish to acknowledge Jersey Day with their dads/ significant person at our Fathers’ Day Breakfast. 

Jersey Day was inspired by the incredible legacy of young Nathan Gremmo, who gave the gift of life to six people when he became an organ donor at just 13 years of age. Today we wear our jerseys with pride to raise awareness for organ and tissue donation.

So grab your jersey, start a conversation, and help spread the message.

Parents are most welcome to join us next Monday for our annual Book Week Parade. It will commence at 9:30am and run for approximately 1 hour. Preschoolers are welcome to join in the fun and come dressed in costume if they would like. 

Cathie Barclay and Gilliane Appave
DEPUTY PRINCIPALS

Literacy and Numeracy Week is an annual event to encourage and celebrate literacy and numeracy. This year, Literacy and Numeracy Week is held from 29 August to 4 September. This year’s theme is ‘Every day counts, every word matters’. Literacy and Numeracy Week is a time to recognise the essential literacy and numeracy skills that support learning every day and help students thrive at school and beyond. It’s also an opportunity to celebrate the incredible work happening in classrooms every day, recognising the expertise of our teachers and the achievements of our students.

As your child engages in plenty of literacy and numeracy learning experiences at school, you can also take the opportunity to encourage your child to continue a love of learning at home.

Here are some fun and engaging literacy and numeracy games you can try at home:

• Alphabet attack: Think of unique words for given categories starting with a specified letter.    Make a list of 6 categories (for example, food, nature, countries, colours, animals and objects) and then number them 1-6. Roll a dice to determine the category. Set a timer for 3 minutes. Write down words for each letter of the alphabet for the category rolled. After time is up, compare answers and score unique entries.
• Letter quest/letter scramble: Find as many words as possible in the grid of letters. Create a grid of letters using pen/paper or letter tiles. Set a timer for 3 minutes. Find and write down words formed by connecting adjacent letters. When time is up, compare and score words.
• Numeracy battle (card game): Practise basic numeracy skills. Use a standard deck of cards with face cards removed or use cards with numbers. Divide the deck evenly between 2 players. Each player flips over a card at the same time and solves a numeracy problem (addition, subtraction, multiplication) using the numbers on the cards. The player with the highest answer wins both cards. If the answers are the same, it's a "battle," and players flip more cards. The player with the most cards at the end wins.
• High 5: Practise advanced arithmetic and probability. Use a standard deck of cards. Assign values to face cards (e.g. Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King = 13). Deal 5 cards to each player. Players create the highest-scoring hand using addition, subtraction, multiplication or division. The player with the highest total score wins. Variation: Create the highest-scoring hand using more advanced operations including fractions, percentages, ratios and square roots.

Other word and numeracy game ideas include:

• Bananagrams, Scrabble, Articulate, 5 Second Rule
• Online word games such as Wordle and Wordiply
• Hangman
• Rubik’s Cube challenges
• Create your own crosswords or find-a-words
• Sudoku
• Snakes and Ladders

Our SGPS students have been hard at work, engaging in a range of literacy and numeracy activities and developing their skills through problem-solving, discussion, reading, writing and hands-on learning. It has been wonderful to see students collaborating, challenging themselves and celebrating their learning. We are proud to celebrate the important role literacy and numeracy play in building confident, capable and lifelong learners.

Happy Literacy and Numeracy Week!

Amanda Keane

 Assistant Principal, Curriculum and Instruction

Mrs Foscholo

We are delighted to share that the Concert and Performance Bands attended the Australian School Band and Orchestra Festival (ASBOF) at Knox Grammar School on Sunday, 16th August. Both groups received Gold Medals for their outstanding performances — a fantastic achievement for our band members, our Conductors, and our entire school community.

The students should be very proud of their dedication and hard work. A special thanks to Mrs. Skinner and Mr. Goddard for their exceptional leadership and commitment.

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

Congratulations to our wonderful school on its 40^th Anniversary. What a fabulous turn out last Friday evening. Thank you to all who joined together to celebrate this important milestone. 

A special thank you to our School Executive and Anniversary Committee led by Mrs Barclay as well as all the staff who worked so hard for many months to achieve such a memorable celebration. It was a joy to see so many former staff and families of our past and present students join together to commemorate our school. 

A special highlight was our Performance Band and alumni who played a piece written by our own Band Director, Mrs Heather Skinner in honour of the occasion called “a Pioneering Spirit” which told through music the story of Samuel Gilbert, after whom our school is named. The fireworks display was a spectacular way to bring the evening’s celebrations to a close.

Thank you also to Paddy Jessing and Matt Young as well as our P&C Executive and parent volunteers without whom we could not have done without. Thank you for serving our community tirelessly throughout the evening.

In honour of our School’s Anniversary, the P&C launched on Friday evening the 40^th Anniversary Tree Project. “Leaves of Legacy” is a whole-school community art installation commemorating 40 years of Samuel Gilbert Public School. 

Families can sponsor a leaf and personalise it with a name, drawing, image or special message. Each unique leaf will become part of a permanent installation on the wall of the school to be installed by the end of Term 4 this year. Each leaf tag costs $50 and is available now to purchase/order on Flexischools. Forms are available via the School App and should be completed and returned to the School Office. Orders close on Friday 18^th September. 

The Father’s Day Stall this year will be held next week on Tuesday 2^nd and Wednesday 3^rd September. Left over stock will be sold on Friday 4 September. Please check which day your child/children are scheduled below to attend the stall and send in cash and a plastic bag to attend the stall. Items are priced between $1 - $10 and children are welcome to purchase more than one item. We need volunteers to help run the Stall and serve the children so if you can assist on the day, please sign up here: 

Our annual Father’s Day BBQ and Jersey Day is scheduled for next Friday 4 September 7:30am-8:30am. Our students love welcoming their Dad’s, Grandpa’s and special Father Figures onsite to share some time together at school. 

At this event each year, our school community supports Jersey day. Jersey Day is inspired by the story of Nathan Gremmo, a 13-year-old former Oakhill College student whose life was tragically lost in an accident on Glenhaven Road. Join us next Friday, put on your favourite team jersey and talk with your family about organ and tissue donation. 

For $7 per person, you can pre-purchase a delicious Bacon and Egg Roll and a Juice Popper. There is a gluten free option as well. Please place your Father’s Day Breakfast Orders by Wednesday 2 September.

Can you help? Your help to cook and serve the Father’s Day Breakfast would be much appreciated.  Please sign up to help at the Father’s Day Breakfast by Thursday 3 September.

All parents and carers are invited to attend our final Term 3 P&C Meeting to be held on Tuesday 8 September at 7:30pm in the Library or online. Our meetings are attended by members of the School Executive as well as the P&C executive and interested parents and carers. Please join us to find out what is happening at our school or how you can be involved. The P&C is a great place to meet other parents and work on initiatives together than benefit our students. Bring a friend and come along, we would love to see you!

Upcoming Events

• Father’s Day Stall: Tuesday 1^st and Wednesday 2^nd September
• Concert Band Performance – Thursday 3^rd September at Baptist Care Gracewood Centre, Kellyville
• Father’s Day Breakfast and Jersey Day – 7:30-8:30am Friday 4^th of September
• Leaf Legacy Fundraiser – Orders close Friday 18^th September 
• P&C Meeting @ 7:30pm Tuesday 13^th October 2026 in the School Library/Online
• P&C AGM @ 7:30pm Tuesday 10 November (General Meeting followed by AGM). 

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

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

Elizabeth Tye

SGPS P&C

etye@sgpspc.org.au

It’s here! It’s here! Book Week 2026 has arrived! We have hosted three Early Morning Reads so far and have read seven of the 2026 shortlisted books, make sure you come for our final Early Morning Read on Friday – we are reading a very special book about an important Australian historical toilet! This book is also the Book of the Year Winner for the Eve Pownall Award (for factual writing) AND Book of the Year Winner for the New Illustrator! Also don’t miss our annual book character parade on Monday 31^st August at 9:30am! 

A special thankyou to all the past and present parents, students, teachers and community members who visited the Library during our 40^th Celebrations on Friday afternoon, it was wonderful to see so many people exploring the library and talking about the changes from when they were at the school in the past.

Don’t forget to keep up your reading for the Premier’s Reading Challenge, you have until the 18^th of September to enter your child’s books to earn their certificate of achievement.

So far in this year, 14 051 items have been borrowed. It is wonderful to see so many children borrowing books from the library, keep up the great efforts!

What fun we have been having with the 2026 Shortlisted books we have read so many of them:

Monday – Dawn by Marc Marting and Once I Was a Giant by Zeno Sworder.

Tuesday – Beyond the Shore by Kirli Saunders and Dear Broccoli by Jo Dabrowski.

Thursday – Save the Gum Trees, Bees and Big Blue Seas by Luke John, A Farm by the Sea by Jillian Packer and Prayer for a River by Uncle Glenn Loughrey.

Friday – Being Indy by Zoe Gaetjens and A Loo of One’s Own by Eleri Harris.

Yes, we did read an extra book on Thursday as two of the stories were quite short. Make sure you don’t miss Friday with our double winner A Loo of One’s Own!

Get your costumes ready for 31 August – I have a few I am still deciding between, but I am most looking forward to seeing what all the students, teachers and siblings wear (mums and dads are welcome to dress up too!)

I hope you have enjoyed our Symphony of Stories!

The Thursday Morning Read is on every week, 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 some 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.

Keep an eye on the School App for notifications that there are books in need of covering. If you wish to volunteer 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. Free covering lesson provided upon request. 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. 

Book Club 

Wk6: Order Brochure #5 to be distributed.

Wk8: Order #5 closed.

Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC)

Ongoing until Friday 18 September, 2026.

Book Week:

Wk6: Book Week Commences

Wk6: Monday Shortlisted 2026 Morning Read 8:20am Tiered Learning space.

Wk6: Tuesday Shortlisted 2026 Morning Read 8:20am Tiered Learning space.

Wk6: Thursday Shortlisted 2026 Morning Read 8:20am Tiered Learning space.

Wk6: Friday Shortlisted 2026 Morning Read 8:20am Tiered Learning space.

Wk7: Monday 31^st August – Book Character Parade - 9:30am in the new hall.

Yours in reading,

Adam Hands
Librarian.