As this is the first newsletter for the term, a warm welcome to new families and those returning for Term 3. Thank you for your continued support of and trust in the highly respected and effective Samuel Gilbert PS. The semester 1 Student Progress Report detailed your child’s achievements and application for the first half of the year. Should you require to share information or seek further understanding of your child’s academic, social or developmental progress please contact the school office to make an appointment to meet with your child’s teacher.

Last week via the School App information was forwarded about your child’s term 3 learning experience. This correspondence has important information about events and ways you can assist with your child’s learning and development. You are encouraged to read it and take note of the specific dates of activities.

Next Wednesday, 6 August from 2.30pm the school will celebrate Public Education Week with the community. This occasion will provide the opportunity to not only look at the school but witness amazing talent by our students. We will be showcasing dancing and singing items from our Kindergarten students and junior and senior vocal ensembles. Year 6 will be selling sausage sandwiches and drinks to assist with fundraising for their gift to the school at the end of year.

The 2025 Public Education Week’s theme is ‘Ignite Your Potential’. Public Education Week is a time to come together and celebrate the strength, diversity and achievements of NSW public education where every student is supported to learn, grow and thrive. We are looking forward to celebrating Public Education Week with you next week and at our Open Day next Wednesday afternoon.

Yesterday marked the first one hundred days of formal education for our Kindergarten students. It was a significant achievement for our young students who have engaged in not only 100 days of academic learning but have also worked hard at gaining an understanding of new routines and forming potentially life-long friendships. Despite the tormentous weather, the fun day included party games, craft and activities related to the number 100. The party lunch experienced by Kindergarten was well received. It was a fantastic day and the Kindergarten teachers were so proud of how well behaved our students all were while having such fun.

NAPLaN is a national literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3 and 5 sit each year. Parents and carers in those grades should have received their child’s 2025 NAPLaN report. NAPLaN results are reported against proficiency standards, with student achievement shown against four levels of proficiency. NAPLaN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It does not replace ongoing class assessments made by teachers about student performance. NAPLaN can provide teachers with additional information about students’ educational progress. It is also a document to further generate discussions between parents/carers and the class teacher.

Last week, all classes engaged in Aboriginal Education programs beyond Aboriginal perspective which are present in learning programs throughout the year.

This year's NAIDOC theme is ‘The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy’. NAIDOC Week is a time to reflect and celebrate the history, culture and achievements of First Nations Peoples whilst recognising them as the traditional owners of the land.

This year's theme is: Be Bold. Be Kind. Speak Up.

Bullying No Way Week is an opportunity to further promote the importance of peer, school, family and community connections where every student feels safe, supported and respected.  

Bullying has three key features. It: involves a misuse of power in a relationship; is intentional, ongoing and repeated, involves behaviours that can cause harm.

Our school refers to anti-bullying for additional support in the prevention, early intervention or response to bullying behaviours. 

We warmly welcome to the school Mrs Danielle Alam, relieving Assistant Principal for Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten). Mrs Alam is a substantive Assistant Principal from another school in the Northern Suburbs. Her class will be known as KA.

We also warmly welcome Ms Caitlin Clague as our parttime School Psychologist. Ms Clague will join our School Counsellor, Ms Akira Harinath, at the school.

Within the first couple of weeks of this term some school executive members have taken long service leave. The school is grateful to Ms Keane who was relieving Deputy Principal, and Mrs McLeod, Mrs Khakh and Miss Fedczyna who were relieving Assistant Principals.

It is really important to keep your child at home when they are sick, for their safety and the safety of others. By keeping your child at home when he or she is unwell helps in preventing the spread of infection to other people. It also gives your child a chance to recover. 

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

Undeniably our school community has the best OOSH in Australia. We are very fortunate to have Mrs Lesley Soper, her leadership team and other educators at our Out of School Hours Care (OOSH). Yesterday we had the chance to recognise and appreciate the vital role our OOSH educators play in children's lives. The national theme for this year’s OOSH Educators’ Day is ‘Recognition and Appreciation’. The day enabled us to acknowledge the passion, commitment, and impact our OOSH educators have in creating safe, engaging, and supportive environment for our students. 

Momentum is building for the Great Fete 2025 to be held on the school grounds, Sunday 17 August. Our kind-hearted P&C members are spending countless hours ensuring the event is a huge success for the students and school community. Keep in mind all parents and carers are welcome to contribute to our school P&C. 

Opportunities currently exist for parent involvement. Coming up are the Great Fete 2025, Fathers’ Day Stall, Fathers’ Day Barbeque and Jersey Day as well as volunteering to assist in our canteen during the school week. Please get involved when you can.

I also encourage families to attend our P&C (Parents & Citizens) meetings. The next meeting is on Tuesday 12 August at 7.30pm in the school library. These meetings serve as an effective conduit between the school and families, providing a platform for rich conversation and valuable feedback. Your involvement and input are crucial to enhancing our communication and ensuring the success of our students. Let us work together to create a supportive and thriving educational environment for our children.

Greg McLaren
PRINCIPAL

Next week celebrates NSW public education and the achievements of our schools, teachers and students. We hope the afternoon schedule makes it possible for all families to find the opportunity to visit a classroom, enjoy the performing arts on display, locate their memorial paver or even just grab a sausage sandwich from our Grade 6 Sausage Sizzle. The program for the afternoon and notes regarding organisation have been sent via School Bytes and the app. We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday. 

Five students from Samuel Gilbert competed in the Sydney Academy of Chess Interschool Championship held at William Clarke College on Monday. Congratulations to Chaith G., Cameron P., Nathaniel C., Leo Y. and Daniel Y. who helped SGPS secure an equal third placing out of 11 schools.  Particular congratulations to Chaith (2T ) who despite being one of the youngest players at the tournament, managed to win five of his seven games against much older players and was awarded the gold medal for being the best player in the Under 9 category. Well done Chaith!

At the end of Term 2 Aria F., Olivia W., and Mia DP. Competed in the Sydney West Regional Cross Country Carnival at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre. All girls performed well with Olivia placing 27^th, Mia 14^th and Aria 2^nd out of a field of over 70 runners. 

Congratulations to all girls on their commendable results and in particular to Aria who progressed to the State Carnival. 

Last Wednesday Aria participated in the NSWPSSA Cross Country Championship and placed an impressive 33^rd from a field of 80 runners. Congratulations Aria!

On Monday our Boys Knockout Football team played Wilberforce in a tough match at Bella Vista PS, unfortunately going down by 2 goals to 1. Congratulations on getting this far boys!

Yesterday the Girls Netball Knockout team played their quarter final against Kings Park PS. Despite the rainy weather the new courts provided a good non slip surface for the girls who defeated the opposition convincingly wit a 34-6 win. Congratulations to Mrs Spears and the team on a great result. We wish them luck for their semi final to be played next week against Narellan Vale PS.

The Girls Touch Knockout team played Glenbrook PS in Round 3 of the competition and were defeated in a close game by 4 -3. The Boys Touch Football Knockout team played their quarter final against Faulconbridge PS and were disappointed to be defeated 2-0. Congratulations to Mr Lau and all players for their excellent effort.

Last Tuesday GWS Giants ran an AFL Promotional Clinic for K-6 students. Passing, handballing and catching skills were taught and practised.  Students learnt the correct technique to kick an AFL ball while kicking through the posts. Six points for a goal between the taller white goal posts, and one point for a behind for kicking between the goal posts and the shorter yellow outer posts. Some students were able to use the special Face Footy to help learn correct kicking technique by covering the ears, pointing the nose and kicking the chin! Thanks to Mr Lau for organising this opportunity.

Yesterday Mr Lau and the Paul Kelly Cup AFL team competed in the State Final at Blacktown International Sport Park. The boys played well throughout the day and are to be congratulated on reaching this level. They won one of their four games which were played against much more experienced teams. Well done boys!

The Arts Unit offers a variety of workshops for students who have a talent and passion for the performing arts. It was fabulous to see Mia DP., Arlia W. and Aria F. taking advantage of the dance workshops on offer over the past weeks. We hope they found them both challenging and fun.  

Coming up on Thursday in Week 4 is the regional Spelling Bee where Aria F. (4W) and Shriya I. (5C) will represent Samuel Gilbert PS in the regional finals. This competition is held online and students from approximately 40 schools across NSW compete against each other in each round for a place in the NSW Finals held later in the year. We wish Shriya and Aria the very best of luck. 

Last Friday Swane’s Nursery and Castle Hill Toyota once again supported Samuel Gilbert School with a generous donation of plants for our ANZAC Remembrance Garden for the Planet Ark’s National School’s Tree Day. Bottle Brush, rosemary and grevilleas were planted alongside our newly purchased sculptures of a bugler and a servicewoman. The garden is a true community project with assistance from numerous supporters. The Lily Pillies donated by Joe from Urban  Landscape Designs will grow to create a beautiful hedge around the area. The Castle Hill Sub Branch of the RSL along with a grant from the Office of Veterans Affairs will contribute to the purchase of plaques for the area. A very sincere thanks to all who have assisted in creating a special place of remembrance for our families.

Again we ask parents to prioritise student safety above convenience during drop off and pick up times each school day. Crossing Ridgecrop Drive anywhere but at the pedestrian crossing is an unsafe practice and one we would prefer not be modelled by parents. Although it does at times require a short walk it is the only safe option for children. If using the Kiss and Drop zone we remind parents that they are to stay in their vehicles and move towards the school as space becomes available. This enables teachers to supervise children and keep them in sight. Finally a reminder that the staff car park is not available to parents after 8:00am and children need to be closely supervised during afternoon pickups from OOSH and after school activities.

Cathie Barclay and Gilliane Appave
DEPUTY PRINCIPALS

Last term, our talented writers at SGPS participated in the NSW Education Standards Authority’s (NESA) annual WriteOn competition. Three exceptional students were chosen as finalists. Again, congratulations to Zachary B (Stage 1), Aria F (Stage 2) and Estelle C (Stage 3).

Students were required to create an imaginative text of up to 500 words, inspired by a provided stimulus: Could they be changing? Over the coming newsletter editions, each of the finalists’ work will be published along with excerpts of participants.

Our first finalist: Zachary B (Stage 1):

Could They Be Changing AI Robots?

Boom! A war had started between humans and robots since a robotic cyborg named Juicy Potato hacked into all of the robots. From the ancestors to the present, the war raged on. The robots were faster, stronger and armed with armour but the humans were smarter.
One century had passed but still there were no wins and no losses. Humans wanted peace while robots wanted war and to take over the world. A young genius named Professor Oak kept trying to make a secret code to disable Juicy Potato’s hack.
Suddenly, Oak made the perfect code to disable Juicy’s hack. Now all he needed was someone to place the code into a rain cloud. Oak decided to write an advertisement in the newspaper.
Eventually, Charles, a short businessman, replied to the advertisement. Oak answered, “Yes, you may come.”
Charles was nervous, frightened and excited. Within seconds, he was already sprinkling the code into the rain cloud.
Five minutes later, all of the robots, including Juicy had turned to their own kind self. Peace at last. Oak became a celebrity. 

Well done Zachary! Look out for Aria and Estelle’s entries in the next newsletter edition.

Amanda Keane
Assistant Principal, Curriculum and Instruction

Welcome back to Term 3, we hope that you were able to have a great break from the busy school routine. 

Congratulations to our Kindy students who have celebrated their 100 days of School. That is quite an achievement for our students and our parents alike! 

A big thank you to our School Staff who are working hard to prepare for Education week next week. The 2025 theme is “Ignite your potential”. Thank you to our School Executive and all our School Staff who help support public education by facilitating the learning and growth of our students.  

Great Fete: We are getting very close to our big event on Sunday 17^th August 10am-3:00pm. It is so encouraging to have a great number of people helping in the planning and coordination. Thank you to Katie and the Fete Committee who have been working so diligently behind the scenes to make this event possible. The Great Fete is a wonderful family event featuring rides, entertainment, markets stalls and food trucks. It is certainly a memorable day for our school community.

Please continue to look out for and read the notes that will be issued during the next 3 weeks and participate as much as you can. The Fete will call on most of the school community to contribute on the day and over the next three weeks. Please consider how you and your family can help to be part of this memorable event. Some of our children’s favourite memories of their time at SGPS will be The Great Fete and they love when they see their parents and family members involved in making the event so special. 

I came across an old Facebook post that said “To have an amazing community to be a part of, requires each of us to contribute to make that community possible” – We need you to support the Great Fete so that we can make this event memorable for our kids, community and school. The Great Fete is a bi-annual event which traditionally provides the majority of funding required to support the initiatives and needs of our school across the year but it also builds a great sense of community. You, and whatever time you can give, will make a difference!

Can you Volunteer? To make the Great Fete a success, we need your help. 

Please go to https://signup.com/go/WLfTDuA for a list of all the areas you can sign up to help, or if you know the area you want to help with go to the specific link below:

Rides: You can now pre-purchase ride armbands, which allow unlimited access to the rides. Pre-purchased armbands are $40 each and are sold until Saturday 16 August 2025. Armbands are $45 on Fete Day and individual tickets for rides are $10 each.
Pre-purchased armbands can be collected on Great Fete day (17 August 2025) from 9:30am at the Rides ticket booth, making sure you’re ready to maximise your ride time from 10am! To buy your unlimited rides armbands, go to 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.

Can you help with the Cake and Lolly Stall?
Every fete, we have visitors who travel looking for our baked goods. Please help us! 

Complete the Cake Stall form by Monday 11 August here:  https://forms.office.com/r/kb4xk7XtKy. 

And if you can’t bake, please donate to our Lolly Stall: 

We are after donations of bagged lollies to be made into bags of mixed lollies for sale. We are looking for donations of lollies from the selection below only:

Please bring your bags of lollies to the canteen by Friday 8th August

Can you help with Father's Day Events? 

Our annual Father’s Day Stall and Jersey Day Breakfast are much loved events. To make these events possible, especially following the Fete, we are looking for a Stall Co-ordinator and Breakfast Co-ordinator. What does this involve? 

Father’s Day Stall Coordinator

• Items have already been pre-ordered. 
• Pricing and setting up the stall for 2 days plus Friday morning, introducing the items to the students and classes, supporting volunteers on the day and re-stocking items as required
• Packing up the stall and providing an itemised record of inventory and cost/profit

Father’s Day BBQ

• Ordering supplies for the Breakfast
• Organising orders and volunteers 
• Event set up and pack down

Can you help?
The P&C will support you and help organise volunteers. Please consider your availability, reach out to a friend or two and do it together! Please contact Elizabeth Tye at etye@sgpspc.org.au  as soon as possible if you can assist to coordinate either event. 

Upcoming Events: 

• SGPS Concert and Performance Band at ASBOF on Sunday 10 August. See emails for information.
• Great Fete – Sunday 17th of August 10:00am-3:00pm
• Father’s Day Breakfast and Jersey Day – Friday 5^th of September 

Our next P&C meeting is Tuesday 12th August at 7:30pm in the School Library. All are welcome, we would love to meet you and serve our school well together. 

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

• Website: www.sgpspc.org.au 
• Fete Website: www.greatfete.com.au 
• Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SGPSPC
• Fete Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sgpsgreatfete/
• 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 

Kind regards,

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

Welcome back to our P&C Band Program for Term 3. Our students are now back into rehearsals, and we have an exciting line up of events coming up this term. But first, let’s take a quick look back at the end of last term:

• GWS Music Festival (Sunday 22 June, Week 8): Our students had the fantastic opportunity to perform with a professional adjudicator, gaining valuable performance experience. Everyone did a great job!
• Winter Concert (Monday 30 June, Week 10): All three bands performed in front of friends and family, showcasing their progress and improvements since the start of the year. Some awards were handed out to members of each band for improvement and leading by example.
  

• Open rehearsals in (week 3), which means parents are welcome to watch their child in rehearsals next week from August 4 to August 7.
• Monday and Thursday are Performance Band
• Tuesday is Training Band
• Wednesday is Concert Band

•  Date: Wednesday, August 6th (Week 3) 
• Time: 3:45-4.15pm
• Location: New Hall
• Features: Performance, Concert and Training Band

• Date: Sunday, August 10th (Week 3)
• Location: Knox Grammar School
• Includes adjudication and trophy presentation
• Features: Performance and Concert Bands only 

Date: Sunday, August 17th (Week 4)
Time: 9:40-10am
Features: Performance Band only

Please remember to confirm your child’s attendance for these activities via Bandforte. If you do not have access to Bandforte please email me at sgpsbandcoordinator@gmail.com  Bandforte is our main communication tool throughout the year.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our band program. We look forward to celebrating these upcoming performances with you!

Also, for those interested, James Morrison is performing again with the CTHS Big Band at Cherrybrook Technology High School on Wednesday 27 August. If you have never been it is an event not to be missed, here is the link to purchase tickets: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1401028

Band Co-ordinator
Samuel Gilbert Public School Band

Welcome back for term 3.

All the orders for Education Week special lunch meal deal have now been processed and no more orders can be taken. K-2 orders will be given out on Tuesday and 3-6 will be given out on Wednesday. No other lunch orders will be given out on these 2 days. If you haven’t ordered please make sure your children have their own lunch.

Don’t forget to check the roster, there are plenty of days available to help.

Thanks Jenelle, Sue and Kiarn.

Last Friday, our gardening group led by Mr Wicks and Ms Meyers came together with Swane’s Nursery, Dural and Toyota Castle Hill to mark National Tree Planting Day, a special occasion that reminds us of the power we have to create a greener, healthier future.

With shovels in hand and smiles on our faces we managed to plant a range of native trees and shrubs, contributing to our local biodiversity.

But this year’s National Tree Planting Day held an even deeper meaning.

Alongside our planting activities, we completed our Samuel Gilbert ANZAC Commemorative Garden—a quiet, reflective space to honour the service and sacrifice of Australian and New Zealand war veterans. This garden now has native and symbolic plants, including rosemary for remembrance and hardy Australian species such as Lilly Pillies and Grevilleas that represent resilience and endurance.

The ANZAC Garden will serve not only as a peaceful place for reflection on ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day but also as a living classroom, where future generations of Samuel Gilbert students can learn about the history and values that shape our nation.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Swane’s Nursery, Dural and Toyota Castle Hill for donating the plants for our new garden. Also, Walter, Lachlan and Micheal our General Assistants who helped with the initial digging out of the trenches and our Garden Group students contributed time, effort, and enthusiasm to create and finish our ANZAC Commemorative Garden project.

Together, we've sown the seeds of remembrance, respect, and renewal.

Lest We Forget.

Mr Wicks & Ms Meyers

On Wednesday 30^th, our Paul Kelly Cup AFL team went to Blacktown International Spots Park to compete in the State Finals. We had a tough first game in the driving rain against St Catherine’s Singleton where we lost 0-17. In the next game, we faced defending champions Albury PS who showed their prowess in taking a 33-point lead in the first half. The boys showed their resilience and mental fortitude to grind out the second half, with the final score being a 2-47 loss.

Each game was another learning experience for the boys, and in the third game against St James Yamba, our teamwork and hunger for the ball gave us a well-deserved 14-0 victory. Our final group game was against Deniliquin South PS, another strong school from the Riverina region. Again, we showed great teamwork and drive, but a couple of accurate kicks resulted in a 9-31 loss. Albury PS ended the day as champions, their fourth in a row, with our second half against them being one of their closest scoring halves on the day.

A big congratulations to all the boys for their efforts on the day. It was a massive result to reach the State Finals in our first venture in the Paul Kelly Cup. They kept pushing until the final whistle and put their bodies on the line to help each other out. Special mentions to Archie P for his leadership qualities and inspirational speeches before each half, and Flynn D for his consistent gameplay and relentless running throughout the day.

Welcome to Term 3, our big Term 3 Library event is fast approaching – Book Week (August 16-23) and our Book Character Parade! Time to start planning and preparing your costumes, hmmmm, what should I wear? The theme for this year’s Book Week is “Book an Adventure”. We will be having our Annual Book Character Parade on Monday 18^th August, remember to wear a BOOK character costume. We will also be having an author visit on Wednesday 20^th August, Mr Matt Rankin will be introducing his book Sapphire Millie and the Quest for the Unknown Destiny and talking about the writing and publishing process. I will also be holding additional morning read sessions to celebrate Book Week.

Anthony Browne is an English children’s author and illustrator. He has written and illustrated about 40 books. Browne served as the United Kingdom’s children’s laureate from 2009 to 2011. The laureate’s job is to promote children’s literature.

Browne was born on September 11, 1946, in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. He spent his childhood drawing with his father and playing sports. He earned a degree in graphic design from Leeds College of Art in 1967.

Browne worked as an illustrator of medical textbooks for three years. He became bored with medical illustrations, so he began to design greeting cards. His work on greeting cards led Browne to become an illustrator of children’s books.

Browne’s first book was Through the Magic Mirror (1976). It follows Toby through a magic mirror into a place where everything is upside down—mice chase cats and dogs walk people.

Many of Browne’s books feature animals, especially apes. In Gorilla (1983), a girl’s toy gorilla turns into a real gorilla and takes her to the zoo. Willy, a chimpanzee, appears in a number of books, including Willy the Wimp (1984), Willy the Champ (1985), and Willy the Wizard (1995).

Browne received the Kate Greenaway Medal for Gorilla and again for Zoo (1992). In 2000 he was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration. It is considered the highest honor that a children’s illustrator can win. Browne was the first British person to receive the award.

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. 

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

Week 5 
August 16-23 – Book Week
Monday 18 – Book Character Parade
Tuesday 19 – Bonus Morning Read
Wednesday 20 – Author Visit: Mr Matt Rankin
Thursday 21 – Morning Read

Week 9
Friday, 19 September - Premier's Reading Challenge closes 

Yours in reading,
Adam Hands,
Librarian.

Week 3
Monday, 4 August
Education Week
Tuesday, 5 August
Festival of Choral Music Week - Evening performance at the Opera House
Wednesday, 6 August
Education Week Open Evening 2:30-5pm
Saturday, 9 August
Dance Eistedifod
Sunday, 10 August
ASBOF Band Festival

Week 4
Wednesday, 13 August
HPAF Rehearsal at Ironbark Ridge PS
Tri-Schools Debating Round 3 at Castle Hill PS
Thursday, 14 August
Regional Spelling Bee
Premiers Debating Round 4 at Glenorie PS
Sunday, 17 August
SGPS The Great Fete