As we approach the conclusion of term 1 next week, I would like to congratulate all students for their effort in making the school a special place of learning as well as bettering themselves in the process. Thank you to the dedicated staff for their effort in the first term. Thank you also to parents and volunteers for continuing to unselfishly support our school in many ways.

Last week, accompanied by Assistant Principal, Ms Hayley, our ten elected student captains and perfects attended a leadership development day in the city. They were challenged to interact, experiencing learning exercises and develop questions to the celebrity speakers. Speaker included actor, Catherine Laga ‘Aia and Olympian, Emma McKeon as well as Bondi Lifeguard, Anthony Carol. As noted on the P&C Facebook page the students and Ms Hayley were spotted travelling on the metro displaying exceptional manners. Thank you to them for representing the school so admirably.

This week, joined by Deputy Principal, Ms Appave, two students Amelia S (Yr6) and Sahir P (Yr5) had the opportunity to speak at the inaugural local ‘Network of Schools Student Voice’. Our representation included a current student leader and a non-positional student. The group will meet once a term to bring student issues to each meeting. Thank you to Amelia and Sahir for contributing to this forum.

The school will respectfully remember those courageous men and women who made a major contribution representing and defending our great nation. Weather permitting, the assembly for the students will take place at the new ANZAC memorial garden (on the oval) at 11.30am Thursday, 11 April.   Parents and grandparents are welcome to attend. Brigadier Phillip Bridie AM ADC will be our special guest of honour. Our school captains and prefects will be conducting the assembly. Our performance band will provide the music. ANZAC Day 2025 (25 April) will be the Friday prior to the students returning from the upcoming holidays. We thank our student captains, Sophia T and Ted G, who will be representing the school at the Castle Hill RSL Dawn Service on ANZAC Day. This year we commemorate the 110^th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings.

Congratulations to our Assistant Principal Curriculum & Instruction (APC&I), Ms Keane on her wedding last weekend to her now husband Brendan. The sky opened for a beautiful ceremony. We wish for these two good people a long and happy marriage.

Mrs Kkahk is capably relieving as AP C&I in Ms Keane’s absence.

At school the children may be involved in learning activities associated with Easter, including art and craft. If you object to your child being involved in these activities, please let your child’s teacher know as soon as possible so your child can be provided with other learning activities. Next Thursday, the scripture teachers for the Christian faiths will provide an Easter message in the school hall to students from their scripture class. We thank all volunteers for supporting the students in our school.
I am looking forward to the Samuel Gilbert PS Easter Hat Parade, next Wednesday.  

Eid Mubarak. For several of our community members including our students, this week symbolises the breaking of the fast after a month. We hope they had a great celebration on Sunday evening and especially Monday.

In case you missed the news, a federal election will occur of the 3 May, 2025. We need your help on the barbeque and to provide treats for the cake stall.

From past community reviews, the school as a polling place is the most popular venue to cast a vote in the state electorate of Castle Hill. That honour arises not only by local residents finding it a convenient voting place but largely due to our P&C coordinated barbeque and cake stall.  

Funds raised enhance the learning programs and school experience for our deserving students. 

All school parents are encouraged to contribute to the school P&C.

The third 2025 Parent & Citizens (P&C) meeting will be held next Tuesday night at 7.30pm in the school library. Thank you to all parents for being part of this important school community forum. 

Each meeting is a great opportunity for all families at the school to be part of the significant roles the P&C undertakes. As this is the year of the Great Fete we would like as many families as possible to contribute to making events like the fete a memorable occasion for our deserving students.

If you should notice suspicious activity on our school grounds during the holiday period, please act. School security can be contacted on 1300 880 021 or Castle Hill Police 9680 5399. If you notice damage to school property, anti-sociable conduct or suspicious activity on the grounds after school hours please do not hesitate to call the abovementioned numbers.

Greg McLaren
PRINCIPAL

On Monday March 31, two SGPS students were chosen to participate in a new initiative in The Ponds network of schools advocating for students voice in the decision-making process for public schools. Amelia S. and Sahir P. attended Kellyville High School with a group of peers to discuss transitions at and between schools, and what the Department of Education could do to support stronger and safer transitions for students. The students discussed a variety of issues at tables and their ideas were collected at the end of the sessions by our Director, Education Leadership, Mr M. Fuller.
Amelia and Sahir will meet again with the same group of students next term to discuss a new topic.

Our Easter Hat Parade is approaching very quickly and is always eagerly anticipated.
Date: Wednesday 9 April  
Time: 9:30am  
Venue: School Courtyards
Attire: Regular School Uniform and Easter Hat  

Kindergarten will parade with their Year 6 buddies. Years 1 and 2 will parade in their classes. Students from Years 3, 4 & 5 are warmly welcome and encouraged to make a hat and join the fun. Parents and carers are welcome to watch the parade (weather permitting). In the event of rain, other arrangements will be made for K-2.  

Bring your toddlers and pre-schoolers. They are also welcome! Bring your cameras and keep an eye out for our special visitor.

Thanks to Mrs Johns in the office and Year 6 parents for finalising high school applications last week. This is an important step in the transition to high school process and we now wait until Week 3 of Term 2 for the Round 1 offers for non local school preferences to commence.

The Selective School Placement test will be held at the end of Week 1 in Term 2 between 2 May and 4 May. We wish all of our students the best of luck for this test. 

Samuel Gilbert is fortunate to have a culturally diverse community. We look forward to celebrating our diversity with a cultural infusion day in Week 2 of next term. We have selected a range of presenters who we believe will showcase cultural experiences that are meaningful to our students. 

Cool Capoeira – martial arts meets dance to the sound of the African instrument the Berimbau. 

Yalla! - The rich traditions of the Arab world are explored with presenters from Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and beyond. 

Chinese Drumming -a hands on workshop where children explore Chinese traditions, instruments and beats.

Indonesian Shadow Puppetry – A performance by a master shadow puppeteer exploring the myths and legends of Indonesian history. 

Aboriginal Story Telling through Art ( Monday ) -  Teaches students traditional symbols for people, land and animals and assists them to create and present their own stories. 

Polynesian Infusion (Tuesday) – Traditional music, dance storytelling and craft from the Cook Islands along with a hula hoop lesson!

Monday – Years 4,5 & 6.  Tuesday – Years K-3. 
Children are encouraged to come on their day in cultural dress. This is not a mufti day so uniform should be worn if cultural dress is not available. 

We were fortunate to complete the carnival despite the weather last Friday. Congratulations to all competitors and a huge thanks to the teachers involved in the organisation of this event and our parent helpers who manned checkpoints despite the rain. 

Our school team will represent us at the Zone Cross Country on Thursday 15 May. We congratulate these students and wish them the best of luck on the day.

Last Thursday Selene L. represented Castle Hill at the  Sydney West Swimming Carnival at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. A huge congratulations to Selene who placed 4^th in Butterfly and 3^rd in Backstroke, earning her a place in the State Carnival next Thursday/Friday 10/11 April. We wish Selene the best of luck.

Congratulations to Archie P., Flynn DP., Blake T. and Riley K. who competed for Castle Hill PSSA at the Sydney West Australian Football Carnival on Tuesday. Castle Hill was undefeated playing outstanding football throughout the day. Congratulations to Riley, Flynn and Archie for their selection into the Sydney West squad. The boys will play in the NSWPSSA carnival in June next term. 

Congratulations to the boys who represented us this week in the Australian Football Paul Kelly Cup.
Connor Z., Archer M., Hunter M., Sahir P., Archie P., Flynn D., Riley K., Harley C., Bronson D., Blake T., Jarlath J., Finn W., Xavier V., Finn T., Lincoln M. and Ollie B. The boys played three group games winning all by a very comfortable margin. They decimated Normanhurst in the semi final winning 33-0 and proceeded to win the day with a convincing 26 – 13 victory against St Michaels in the final. Well done boys and Mr Lau on an extremely successful day, played in good spirit with excellent sportsmanship and teamwork. It was wonderful to hear how supportive and encouraging the Year 6 boys were of their Year 5 team mates. 

The weather was not conducive to our traditional outside photo day so some last minute changes were necessary to be able to ensure most photos were captured on Monday. Thank you to parents for your flexibility as venues were rearranged but we are pleased to say that all class, individual, sibling and group photos were completed despite the weather. 

We apologise to the Year 6 students who came prepared with their Year 6 shirts as we were unable to take their grade photos inside due to space. This photo has been re-scheduled to be taken in Term 2, on Tuesday, 27 May 2025.   

Cathie Barclay and Gilliane Appave
DEPUTY PRINCIPALS

Numeracy is more than just learning how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. It’s about developing the confidence to use numbers in everyday life. From understanding shapes and patterns to reading clocks and managing money, numeracy skills are essential for problem-solving and logical thinking. When children develop strong numeracy skills early on, they gain a solid foundation for success in school and beyond. Parents play a vital role in reinforcing these skills at home, and there are many fun and practical ways to help.

Here are some simple ideas to support your child’s numeracy development:

Make Math Part of Daily Life – Encourage your child to count objects, compare prices at the supermarket, or measure ingredients while cooking. Everyday activities provide great opportunities to practice numbers.

Play Games Together – Board games, card games, and puzzles that involve numbers, patterns, or problem-solving can boost numeracy skills in an enjoyable way.

Talk About Money – Let your child handle cash, count change, and compare prices while out shopping to help them understand the value of money. 

Practise Telling Time – Encourage your child to read both digital and analog clocks, estimate how long activities take, or set a timer for daily tasks.

Use Educational Apps – There are many engaging apps and online games that reinforce numeracy skills in a fun and interactive way.

The key is to make numeracy engaging and part of everyday life. With your encouragement, your child will develop confidence and a positive attitude toward numbers. 

Nareen Khakh
Relieving Assistant Principal, Curriculum and Instruction

This year the Mother’s Day stall is being coordinated by Michelle Pratley (parent of Cameron in Year 4) and will be held in week 2 of Term 2 (Wednesday 7 May & Thursday 8 May) with left over stock sold from the canteen before school on Friday 9 May 2025. A note outlining the details including the allocation of classes will be posted on the school app shortly.

Can you help? The P&C Mother’s Day stall is not possible without volunteers, and it is a wonderful opportunity to serve and assist our students with their all-important purchases. Please view the sign-up link here: https://signup.com/go/TOsYvHD

The SGPS P&C would like to invite our Mum’s and Mother figures to a Mothers' Day Breakfast to be held on Friday 9 May 2025 7:30 - 8:30 AM. The cost is $6 per person for a Danish or croissant and a drink (juice or water). You can purchase your tickets here: https://www.trybooking.com/DAPKU.

Can you help? We would love some of our Dad’s to support this event by helping with registration and service of food and drinks. Last year we had a number of our Dad’s step in so our Mum’s could enjoy breakfast with their children. If you can volunteer, please sign up here: https://signup.com/go/eBWMvTx.

A big thank you to Samantha Crow (Mum to Alice, 1JE) for volunteering to organise this event.

Do you need any winter uniform items? A reminder that in Term 2, students transition to winter uniform. The winter uniform requirements may be viewed on our website at: https://www.sgpspc.org.au/uniform. Uniform shop bookings may be made here. To place an online order visit Munch Monitor and create an account or sign in. 

Do you love a Democracy Sausage with a cake or two on the side? We are hoping to run our Election Day BBQ and Cake Stall again for the upcoming Federal Election being held on Saturday 3 May 2025.

This is a wonderful fundraising opportunity for the P&C where the money raised is provided back to the School for the benefit of all our students. Would you be interested in coordinating the BBQ or the Cake Stall or both? We have resources to help and we can work with you to sign up volunteers on the day. Please reach out to Katie at katie.pike@sgpspc.org.au if you have any questions or would like further information. 

Our final P&C meeting for Term 1 will be held next Tuesday 8 April at 7:30pm in the School Library and online. If you would like to attend the meeting online and have not done so before, please email our P&C Secretary, Jason Atkins at secretary@sgpspc.org.au to receive the online meeting link. All parents and carers are welcome to attend.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish our families a lovely break and we look forward to working with you in Term 2. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our President, Katie Pike at katie.pike@sgpspc.org.au.

Download the School App

Like the SGPS P&C Facebook page

Kind regards,

Elizabeth Tye
SGPS P&C

It’s that time of year again and band camp is just around the corner! We’re excited for another amazing band camp full of music, teamwork, fun and creating lasting friendships and memories.

To help everyone prepare, we’ll be holding a prep for band camp meeting during the first week of term so stay posted for the details. This is the perfect opportunity for parents to ask any questions and get all the details needed for a successful camp experience also to find out more about the band program in general. We look forward to seeing you there!

Next Tuesday marks the first performance for the Training Band, and we couldn’t be more excited for the parents to see how much the kids have been learning! It’s sure to be a wonderful morning, with breakfast provided – a great event you won’t want to miss!

The Performance Band will be performing at the Anzac Day Assembly on April 11th. Parents are welcome.

For students who are renting an instrument and have not had it serviced recently, please leave your instrument in Burragali after your last rehearsal in Week 11, Term We will take care of the servicing and ensure it’s ready for you at the start of Term

Rehearsals for Term 2 will begin in Week 1, starting on Wednesday, April 30th with Concert Band. Please note that the Training Band will have their first rehearsal in Week 2, and the Performance Band will have only their Thursday rehearsal in Week 1.

Important Dates to Mark in Your Calendar

• Tuesday, 8th April – Hot Cross Buns Breakfast for Training Band
  • 7:20 AM: Breakfast starts at 7:30 AM (regular rehearsal time).
  • Parents and family members are welcome to celebrate the achievements of the Training Band.
• Friday, 11th April – ANZAC Day Service Performance for Performance Band
  • Students must bring their instruments and music.

Term 2

• Monday, 16th – Tuesday, 17th June – Band Camp
   All bands are to attend. Details will be emailed at the start of Term 2.
• Sunday, 22nd June (Afternoon) – Greater Western Sydney Music Festival
   Held at Rouse Hill Anglican, all bands will attend. Further details will be emailed to parents closer to the date.

Term 3

• Sunday, 10th August – ASBOF Band Competition
   Performance and Concert Bands at Knox Grammar School.
• Sunday, 17th August – SGPS Great Fete Performance
   This performance will be held at the school. More details will follow.
• There will be more performances throughout the year, but these are the key dates to take note of for now.

Kind Regards,

Jana Luchmun
Band Co-ordinator Samuel Gilbert Public School Band

Wow! What a great start to the year, Term 1 is almost over and so many children have been using the library to borrow wondrously interesting books to read at home. So far this year the popular choices have been anything by Aaron Blabey, Graphic Novels – especially the “I Survived…” series, Goosebumps, Diary of a Minecraft Zombie, Dog Man and anything from the dinosaur section in non-fiction. Keep up the borrowing throughout the rest of the year.

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.

It’s that time of year again, our highly successful Book Fair will be arriving early next term! 

Friday 9^th May will be our preview day with purchases commencing Monday 12^th May. 

The Book Fair will be open:
 Before school each day Monday 12^th to Wednesday 21^st May.
 Lunchtime each day.
 After school each day Monday 12^th to Wednesday 21^st May, except Tuesdays.

Hurry up and get your guess sheets finished and handed in for your chance to get a prize, entry closes on the last day of term. The challenge on offer at lunchtime in the library – how many literary characters can you name, based on their outline? Look for the “I see a little silhouette of…” activity on one of the library’s display walls. Why not have a go at naming the character silhouettes below.

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 aim of the ANZAC School Initiatives is to provide a greater understanding and awareness on the importance and respect of ANZAC Day. The initiatives are open to all primary school students (K-6). The winning students will be awarded some fantastic prizes (see entry form for details)

• K-2 – Colouring Competition
• 3-6 – Design a sticker and slogan that represents ANZAC Day, its meaning and community spirit.

The judging of entries will be adjudicated by a panel including delegates from Koori Kids, community Elders and some council delegates. Closing date is Friday 18th April 2025, and it is anticipated that the judging will take place on 21st April.

As this initiative is supported by your local club, we would encourage all students at your school to submit their creative entries. Some entries will be displayed during ANZAC Day events.

Just print the relevant attached entry form for your child/ren and let them give it their best go. Correspondence and entries should be addressed to ANZAC School Initiatives, GPO Box 454 Sydney NSW 2001. For further information contact the co-ordinator on (02) 8088-0791 or send an Email to director@koorikids.com

Book Fair
(wk2)   Friday – preview day

(wk3)   Before school sales 8:20am-8:45am (all week)
             Lunchtime sales 1:15pm-1:45pm (all week)
             After school sales 3:00pm-4:00pm (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday)

(wk4)   Before school sales 8:20am-8:45am (Monday to Wednesday)
             Lunchtime sales 1:15pm-1:45pm (Monday to Wednesday)
             After school sales 3:00pm-4:00pm (Monday and Wednesday)

Book Club
(wk2) Issue 3 will be distributed to classes.

(wk4) Orders for Issue 3 close.

(wk6) Issue 4 will be distributed to classes.

(wk8) Orders for Issue 4 close.

Yours in reading,

Adam Hands,
Librarian.

The end of term 1. Where has the time gone?
As we end the term certain food items will become out of stock so please check Munch Monitor to see what is available.
Next Friday the 11th April we will be closed for cleaning. There will be no lunch orders. Counter items ice blocks, popcorn etc will still be available.
Enjoy the school holidays and we look forward to seeing you all put your name down for volunteering in term 2.

Thanks Jenelle, Sue and Kiarn

Last week, the 2025 School Leadership Team attended the National Young Leaders Day at the International Convention Centre in Darling Harbour. The students were inspired by various guest speakers including screenwriter Thomas Duncan-Watt, Bondi Rescue lifeguard Anthony ‘Harries’ Carroll and Australia’s most successful Olympian, Emma McKeon. The students particularly enjoyed listening to Catherine Laga'aia, the actress who will play Moana in the upcoming Disney blockbuster!

All students demonstrated exemplary behaviour and engagement throughout the day. Here is what some of our future leaders had to say after attending the event:

‘I took inspiration from Thomas Duncan-Watt. He said that a master was once a disaster. He talked about how failure must happen before success’ – Ted G

‘At the Halogen Young Leader’s Day, I took inspiration by Emma McKeon. She showed me that “You can still perform to the best of your ability, while still feeling nervous’ – Sophia T

‘I took inspiration from Catherine Laga ‘aia, and how pushing yourself, and taking the risky route can turn out in the best possible outcome. You never know what you could be capable of until you try’ – Amelia S

‘At Halogens Young Leaders Day, I was inspired by Catherine Laga-aia’s story about filming Moana. Even when she wanted to quit, she stayed strong. It reminded me to keep going through tough times’ -Emelia C

Week 10
Friday, 4 April 
Whole School Assembly - Badge Presentation 

Week 11
Tuesday, 8 April 
Band Hot Cross Bun Breakfast
P&C Meeting at 7:30pm
Wednesday, 9 April 
Easter Hat Parade
Thursday, 10 April
Combined Scripture Service
Friday, 11 April 
ANZAC Service
Last Day of Term 1 

Term 2, Week 1
Monday & Tuesday, 28 & 29 April
Staff Development Days
Tuesday, 29 April
Band Meeting 7:30pm School Library  
Wednesday, 30 April
Students return to school
Friday, 2 May
PSSA Winter Sport Trials

Term 2, Week 2
Monday, 5 May
Years 4-6 Cultural Infusion Day
Tuesday, 6 May
Years K-3 Cultural Infusion Day