Welcome to Term 3. During the return to school this term we warmly welcome five new students and their families. We trust they will have wonderful experiences with the school and look forward to the opportunities to participate in school activities. For everyone, I hope that you were able to be creative and made the most of the recent school holiday break as locally it was a bit chilly. If you have any concerns about your child’s learning, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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.

Kindergarten students had a wonderful celebration on Tuesday. It was fantastic to see them fully engaged in their regular learning as well as in fun activities. They shared that their favourite parts of the day were domino trails, gumball bingo, making 100 days brighter crowns and wands. Congratulations to all our Kindergarten students on reaching your first 100 days of formal education and for being such a valued part of our school community.

This afternoon and evening our diligent P&C (Parents & Citizens) are providing a student disco for our K-2 and then Year 3-6 with the appropriate theme of ‘Winter Wonderland’. Actioning one of the school’s 2026 strategic directions via the P&C the disco fosters a sense of community and belonging among students, promoting positive social interactions and building friendships. We foresee the disco will be a fun and energetic event where our students will dance, socialise, and enjoy music in a safe and supervised environment. Thank you to P&C vice presidents and parents, Mrs Lauren Wright and Mr Jason Atkins, for coordinating the disco.

We are delighted to have Mrs Szanto return and hope that she enjoyed precious time with her family, especially with new bub. Mrs Szanto will be teaching on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Wishing all the best to Mrs Richards as she begins maternity leave and an exciting new chapter. We are really looking forward to meeting her baby son. Mrs Ross has kindly taken over the teaching of 3R for the remainder of the year.

Next Monday, 3 August from 9am the school will celebrate Public Education Week with the parents and carers. This occasion will provide the opportunity to not only look at the school but witness amazing talent by our students. We will be showcasing our bands, additionally there will be dancing and singing items from our Kindergarten students and junior and senior vocal ensembles. The program resembles our recent Grandparents’ Day event. The 2026 Public Education Week’s theme is ‘Inspiring Excellence’. The theme focuses on supporting students to learn, grow, and thrive while acknowledging the dedication of exceptional school staff.We are looking forward to celebrating Public Education Week with you next week and at our Open Day on Monday morning.

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

Our community led OOSH has an outstanding reputation supporting our students and their families by providing a safe, nurturing, and engaging environment for our students outside regular school hours. Ms Lesley and her colleagues work diligently to promote social, emotional, and physical development. We thank them for their continued high standards as we as a school community acknowledged a national recognition day. National OOSH Educators' Day was celebrated yesterday, Wednesday 29 July, to honour staff in before school and after school care. The 2026 theme was ‘Valuing OOSH Educators Every Day’.

We are a ‘School Spectacular’ school and have been for a long time. This week, I attended the official launch of the 2026 School Spectacular. The actual show will be held on 27-28 November at the Qudos Bank Arena (Afterpay Arena) in Sydney Olympic Park, themed ‘Original’. Mrs Spears will accompany twenty-seven of our students who will have the honour to perform at this world recognised event and which will be later televised on Channel 7. Samuel Gilbert PS was also specifically mentioned at the launch. Retired Assistant Principal of our school, Ms Elaine Cater, was recognised for her outstanding service, creativity, and commitment to public school arts. Ms Cater received the prestigious Mary Lopez AM Medal by the Department of Education’s Secretary.

Thank you to all families who have paid their Statement of Account. As you know these funds allow us to offer quality educational experiences and activities for our students. If you are yet to settle 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 term. 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.

The next P&C (Parents & Citizens) meeting will be held in the school library commencing 7.30pm on Tuesday, 11 August. I encourage all parents and carers to attend our P&C meetings. 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

Congratulations to Bonnimae and Ayda J. for their successful audition to the new NSW Public Schools Primary Aboriginal Dance Company. This is a dance ensemble for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander students in Years 3-6 who excel in contemporary Indigenous dance, from Western Sydney. Ayda and Bonnimae will participate in structured rehearsals and workshops throughout the year and may be offered opportunities to perform at selected events and showcases as the program develops.

We welcome Margarit Hennessy as our new full time crossing supervisor. She commenced at the beginning of this week, on Monday 27 July. Mrs Hennessy is a valued school parent who regularly attends P&C meetings, so she is perfectly placed as a member of our school and local community.

On Tuesday every student in Kindergarten celebrated 100 days of attending primary school. They came dressed in their very brightest clothes and moved around to each of the different Kindergarten classrooms to complete activities around the number 100, getting older and becoming smarter!

We look forward to welcoming parents and careers to our Open Day morning next Monday 3 August. As mentioned in previous correspondence, the performances are the same as those enjoyed by grandparents on Grandparents Day. For this reason we prefer only parents and carers attend as space is limited. The Bands will open the proceedings with performances from 8:45am at the new hall. The program sent via the app last week gives an approximate schedule of performances. Class visits are between 9:50 and 10:40am.If you wish to stay and enjoy recess with your children between 11:00 and 11:20 you are most welcome to do so. A number of our Kindergarten students will be involved in the Wanderers Soccer clinic from 11:10 am so you may wish to watch them on the oval. Children should wear full school uniform with the exception of Kindergarten students involved in the Wanderers Soccer Clinics. 

It was disappointing that the videographer was unable to attend school for the planned filming last Monday. We are now endeavouring to film what we can next Monday, despite it being Open Day. A note will be sent via School Bytes with the necessary adjustments to last week’s information about what to wear, who will be filmed etc. Children should wear full school uniform unless otherwise informed as some incidental filming of class lessons will occur. 

Congratulations to the Senior Girls Netball Knockout team who won their regional quarter final at the end of Term 2 against Milperra Public School 27-11. They will now play Narellan Vale Public School in the Regional Semi Final in the coming weeks. We wish them the best of luck. They will be coached by Mrs Foscholo in Mrs Spear’s absence. 

It was disappointing that the Boys Softball Knockout team were knocked out by Narraweena PS in the second round of the competition. It was a great game and either team could have won. Even scores at the end of both the first and second innings left no space for error in the third and final innings. Narraweena scored four runs setting us a target of five for the win. Unfortunately we couldn’t get there batting against a very strong pitcher and were beaten 12-9. 

In the last week of Term 2 Ariana E., Bonniemae J, Claudia M., Luke F., Jacob F., Lachlan M., Hunter and Archer M., represented Castle Hill Zone in the Sydney West Softball Carnival. The girls team came 4^th overall with the boys finishing 6^th. Congratulations to all players. 

Congratulations to Aria F. who completed in the State Athletics Carnival last week. Aria placed a commendable 15^th out of a field of approximately 100 runners. What a fabulous result, congratulations Aria. 

Further to this result Aria will be representing NSW at the Australian National Cross Country Championship in Ballarat on 22 August, qualifying for this event through the Little Athletics/Athletics NSW pathway. We wish you every success Aria. Well done!

Congratulations also to Celine H. who has been selected in the Under 13 Talented Athlete program for Basketball NSW. Only 30 girls for this age group were selected from metropolitan Sydney to participate, well done Celine on this commendable achievement. 

Congratulations to Roger Z. who has received a W4 ranking in the world after competing recently in the Racing BMX World Championships. Roger completed 7 rounds of gruelling competition to qualify for the finals and earn this ranking. A sensational effort Roger, well done! 

Congratulations to Mr Lau and the boys who represented Samuel Gilbert in the Paul Kelly Cup on Wednesday. The boys played some excellent football throughout the day earning them a well deserved place in the Final. Unfortunately they had to settle for runners up of the carnival after being defeated by a strong St Clare team 28 – 13. Well done boys!

On Tuesday we were able to finalise the 1500m event which we did not run due to time at our recent Athletics Carnival. Thanks to Mr Whybrow for measuring out the track on Castle Glen Reserve and organising beautiful sunshine! Congratulations to the students who participated. It was disappointing that a number of students who are strong athletes opted out of this event. 

Unlike most other events for the Zone Carnival where the top 2 place getters progress to the Zone Carnival in the 1500m we submit our two best times for each age group and the Zone then selects the fastest times from across all schools. 

The High Jump is the last event to finalise and this will be run at school. Some level of experience is expected for students competing in this event. 

Next Thursday, 6 August 28 students will be competing in the Sydney West Orienteering Championships at Nurragingy Reserve in Doonside. We wish students the very best of luck and hope you have a fabulous time. We commend you on giving this a go, particularly if it is a new sport for you. Mrs Khakh will be supervising the team.

We are pleased to have been able to introduce tennis to the school sport program for students not in PSSA teams. Students will attend the Castle Hill Tennis complex at the top of Gilbert Road each Friday. Stage 3 students are attending the first seven week program and then Stage 2 students will have their turn for seven weeks. 

Each Monday this term Kindergarten are involved in clinics with coaches from the Western Sydney Wanderers. We hope the children enjoy learning the basics of football and thank the Wanderers for these free sessions. 

On Thursday all classes had the opportunity to participate in a free, short AFL clinic. This involved :

• Warm-up activity (5–10 mins)

• Introduction to marking (catching) (5–10 mins)
• Learning the drop punt (5–10 mins)
• A short skill-based game (approx. 5 mins)
• Brief presentation of the flyer and explanation of the Auskick / Superkick pack students receive upon registering.

The AFL will be offering after school workshops for interested students at a cost of $50.00 which can be paid for with the Active Kids Voucher. 

Congratulations to Audrey, Aria, Olivia, Claudia, Arlia, Mia, Veronica and Rosie who were successful in gaining a place in the Arts Unit Years 5-6 Dance Workshop. The girls had the opportunity to learn and experience four different dance styles: Contemporary, Jazz, Musical Theatre and Bollywood. It was a fantastic learning experience, and the girls absolutely loved being part of the workshop. Well done girls!

Miss Stacey’s Stage 1, 2 and 3 Dance groups have been chosen to perform at the Hills Performing Arts Festival on Tuesday 25 August. Unfortunately we were only permitted three items this year so our apologies to the Boys Group who miss out on this occasion. We will try to find an alternate performance opportunity for you. 

On Tuesday 4 August Mrs Medcalf is stepping in for Mrs Spears, in her absence, to take the senior vocal ensemble to the rehearsal and evening performance of the Festival of Choral Music. We wish all students the best of luck and know they will enjoy the opportunity to perform in the Sydney Opera House. 

On Wednesday 5 August Mrs Medcalf will be conducting the rehearsal for the Hills Performing Arts choirs at Rouse Hill Public School. 

Both the Tri Schools and Premiers debating teams will be debating next week on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. The tri schools debate is at Samuel Gilbert whilst the Premier’s debate is at Glenorie PS. We wish both teams the best of luck. 

Coming up on Monday 10 August is the Regional Final of the Premier’s Spelling Bee. We wish Jerry Z. and Aria F. the best of luck as they compete with some of the best spellers in our region. 

There have recently been some incidents of students leaving the school grounds either before or after school to go to the shopping centre. Students will often tell us that they have their parent’s permission to do this.  Please understand that once a child has arrived at school and before they have departed for home via their regular route ( walking, bus, car etc) they must not leave the grounds. If they have your permission to go to the shops they must do this before arriving at school in the morning and after they have left the grounds in the afternoon. Please talk to your child/children about this so that we can ensure they remain safe. 

Once again we ask parents and carers to be extremely careful when exiting and entering the school car park. Children don’t always wait and check when crossing a driveway and we rely on your safe driving practices to keep our children safe. 

Cathie Barclay and Gilliane Appave
DEPUTY PRINCIPALS

Phonics is the relationship between letters and sounds and is vital in learning to read. Some children have difficulty with learning to read so it is important that these children are identified quickly so teachers can plan for any specific support they may need.

The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check is a mandatory short statewide assessment that tells teachers how your child is progressing in phonics. This screening check observes how your child can read English words with different letter combinations.  Your child will sit with a teacher and will be asked to read 40 words aloud. These words include 20 real words and 20 nonsense words. The purpose of the nonsense words is to see if the student can use their knowledge of blending to read a word rather than their memory of having seen that word before. The test normally takes 5-7 minutes.  If your child is having difficulty with the assessment, the teacher will stop the check. The check is carefully designed not to be stressful for your child. The main purpose of the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check is to provide your child’s teacher with information which will allow them to plan for your child’s learning. Each child is individually assessed by a teacher, and all Year 1 students will be assessed. The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check is held in Term 3 Weeks 4 to 6 from 10 to 28 August.

Phonic knowledge and skills are essential for learning to read and write in English. To be successful, students need to learn the sounds represented by individual letters or different letter combinations, and the skill of blending these sounds together to read words. Beginning readers need to learn how to blend sounds together in words quickly and fluently, so as not to disrupt the flow of reading and their comprehension of the text.

Please contact Ms Keane or your child’s teacher if you have any questions regarding the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check.

Amanda Keane

 Principal, Curriculum and Instruction

This week in Mathematics, KB took their learning outdoors as they explored different ways to make and represent numbers to 10. The class then went on a nature walk to collect up to 10 sticks each. After carefully counting and checking their collections, students used their sticks to create imaginative houses. As students shared their creations, they practised using mathematical language to describe the position of objects, using words such as on top of, next to, inside, under, and beside. During the gallery walk, students enjoyed observing one another’s designs and explaining where different features had been placed. It was wonderful to see KB combining creativity, teamwork, and mathematical thinking while learning in the outdoor environment.

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, well done!

A big thank you to our School Executive and Staff who are working hard to prepare for Education week and our School’s 40^th Anniversary celebrations. The 2026 theme of Education Week next week is “Inspiring Excellence”. Thank you to our School Executive and all our School Staff who help support public education by facilitating many opportunities for the learning and growth of our students.

❄️ THE COUNTDOWN IS ON! ❄️

Tonight  our Winter Wonderland is coming to our school!

We look forward to welcoming our K-6 students tonight, Friday 31st July for an unforgettable evening of music, dancing, prizes and snow-filled fun as we transform the school into the coolest disco of the year.

✨ Snow Machine

✨ Awesome Music

✨ Great Prizes

✨ Winter Wonderland Vibes

✨ Kindergarten – Year 2: 5:00pm – 6:15pm

✨Years 3 – 6: 6:30pm – 8:00pm

To help the evening run smoothly and ensure the safety of all students, please note the following:

• The only entry and exit point will be the small Ridgecrop Drive gate.

• Children must be signed in and signed out by a parent/carer. Children will not be permitted to leave the school premises to meet parents at their cars. 

• Please have your TryBooking QR code ready on your phone (or printed) for scanning on arrival to help keep the entry process moving quickly.

• The disco is a drop-off and pick-up event. Parents are asked not to remain at the disco unless they are volunteering in an official capacity. This helps us provide a safe environment and ensure a smooth flow of the event for all students.

• Toilets will be available near the hall.

• Water bubblers will be available throughout the evening.

• Children do not need to bring a drink bottle.

A huge thank you to our Lauren Wright and the Disco committee and to everyone who has volunteered to help make the Disco possible. Your support is greatly appreciated, and we could not run events for the benefit of our students like this without our wonderful school community. We are still looking for some assistance with packing up, so if you can help, please sign up using this link: https://signup.com/go/kSzrwZg. Thank you!

A special shout out also to Woolworths at Knightsbridge who have generously donated towards the party bags that our students attending the disco will receive on the night. Their support has made it possible to keep the costs of the event manageable. Next time you are at Knightsbridge, make sure to pop in and thank them for their support of our school community. 

We can't wait to see everyone tomorrow for what promises to be an amazing Winter Wonderland School Disco! 

Our first P&C meeting for Term 3 will be held in Term 3 on Tuesday 11^th August at 7:30pm. We would love to see you in person the School Library or alternatively, online. If you would like to join the meeting online and have not previously done so, please email a request for the online meeting link to  secretary@sgpspc.org.au. 

• P&C K-6 Disco: Friday 31 July. Ticket Details to follow.
• P&C Meeting @ 7:30pm Tuesday 11 August 2026: 7:30pm
• SGPS 40^th Open Evening: Friday 21 August 2026. Gates open at 4:30pm for school tours, memorabilia display, food trucks and stalls and culminating with a fireworks display at 7:30pm.

For more information about the SGPS P&C, who we are and what we do, 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 

The Band students started rehearsals last Tuesday, returning refreshed from the Winter Holidays and ready for an exciting Term 3 filled with events. Some students have achieved remarkable milestones this year.

    Danbi Huh – Hawkesbury Eisteddfod  

   1st place in the 13 Years section and the 13 Years Championship on flute.

  Gabbi Huh – Hawkesbury Eisteddfod  

   1st in the 10 Years section on French horn.  

  Gabbi also entered the 15 Years Instrumental section for flute at the Sydney       Eisteddfod and received an impressive score of 90 marks.

   Audrey Shen Wei  

  Received a B+ for her 4th grade AMEB exam last term.

  Congratulations to all for these outstanding results!

   • Band Workshop  

 Date: Sunday, 2nd August  

 Time: 12:00 pm – 4:30 pm  

 Details: Organised by the Band Committee, with six specialist tutors and Conductors Mrs. Skinner and Mr. Goddard. This annual event helps develop musical skills and prepare for upcoming performances and assemblies.

  • Public Education Week Performances  

 Date: Monday, 7th August  

 Time: 8:45 am – 9:10 am  

 Location: New Hall  

 Note: Parents are encouraged to attend.

 • ASBOF Competition  

 Date: Sunday, 16th August  

 Details: Performance and Concert Bands will compete at Knox Grammar   School for awards in Gold, Silver, or Bronze.

Note: Tickets available for Parents to attend

  • Training Band Performance  

 Date: Friday, 18th September  

 Event: Week 9 Assembly

Location: New Hall

- All event details will be posted on [Bandforte](https://www.bandforte.com.au).  

- Please confirm attendance or notify absences via Bandforte.  

- For access issues, contact sgpsbandcoordinator@gmail.com.

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

Term 3 has begun and we are in need of your help so please put your name down on the sign up and help us out.
We have a new product chicken dim sim. It has 3 medium size dim sim and soy sauce for $5 and is available on Monday and Wednesday on Flexischools.
We have already had many children without lunch please make sure your children have lunch and the orders have gone through correctly.

Thanks,
Jenelle, Sue and Kiarn

Welcome back to the Library as we usher in the most important term of the year for all librarians – Book Week is coming up, week 6 this term will see the library host literary events and activities, culminating in our annual book character parade on Monday 31^st August, so keep your eyes peeled for more information in future newsletters! I must extend a massive thank you to the families who took home a bag or two of books for covering in the school holidays – your help in the final step for getting new books onto the shelves is greatly appreciated. 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, 11 904 items have been borrowed. It is wonderful to see so many children borrowing books from the library, keep up the great efforts!

All book fair books have now been covered and have been made available for students to borrow – each donated or special selection book has an information plaque in the front thanking the family for their donation or the individual for their special selection for our library collection.

I still have two orders of books from the Book Fair held in my office, unfortunately the students who placed these orders forgot to leave their name and class when making the order, if your child has not received their Book Fair order yet, please encourage them to come and see me in the library to collect their books.

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. 

The Premier’s Reading Challenge has started, 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. 

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

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.   

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 

Wk2: Order Brochure #5 to be distributed.

Wk4: Order #5 closed.

Wk6: Order Brochure #5 to be distributed.

Wk8: Order #5 closed.

Book Week:

Wk6: Book Week Commences

Wk7: Monday 31^st August – Book Character Parade

Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC)

Ongoing until Friday 18 September, 2026.

Yours in reading,

Adam Hands
Librarian.