Hill Street News

 A Connected, Creative, Caring Learning Community. 

Term 1 Week 11

Acknowledgement of Country 

We would like to pay respect and acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land and pay respect to Elders both past and present and emerging.

As the school term draws to a close, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to every member of our school community for making this term such a memorable one. It has been full of exciting learning experiences, fantastic achievements, and memories. Our students have demonstrated dedication, resilience, and growth in so many ways, and I couldn’t be prouder of their efforts throughout the term.

The past few weeks have been especially eventful and filled with vibrant community spirit. From the colourful Easter Hat Parade and the wonderful Iftar Dinner, our participation in the Kingsgrove RSL Anzac Day commemoration, our own Anzac Day ceremony, and our well attended end-of-term picnic — each event has highlighted the strong sense of connection and celebration that defines our school.

This week we had many parents/carers attend the parent/teacher/student interviews. It was fantastic to receive such positive feedback again from students, parents and staff.

On 11 April 2025, we held our annual Easter Hat Parade. Our school was filled with excitement and so much joy as each class paraded their Easter hats in the library quad. Our students worked with their buddies to create their Easter hats and we had many creative hats once again on display this year.  The Easter Bunny made another appearance this year and delighted us all. It was heart warming to see so many parents/carers, grandparents and extended families attend and support this special event. 

Our greatest thanks to our P&C, parents/carers and our wider community (House, Green Valley Spices, Zahari, Costi Bros Seafoods Roselands, Frutex, LeWrap, Burgers & Co,  Priceline Pharmacy, Woolworths, Coles, Meals by Moodi, The Coffee Emporium, Mrs Fields, Three Beans, Pentozi Poultry, Sydney Olympic Park Acquatic Centre, Fruit World, Gift It, Everest Books) for their very generous Eid-ster donations - the 57 raffle prizes were well received by all! 

On 26 March 2025, we held our second Iftar Dinner in the hall and it was another great success! Our school is not just a place of learning; it is a home away from home for many of us. It is a place where we come together to grow, to learn, and to support one another. It was wonderful to have so many of our community members from different cultures come together for the Iftar dinner.  Many thanks to Human Appeal Australia, our P&C, community, students and our Iftar dinner committee -Mrs El-Esh, Mr Hijazi, Mrs Zreika, Miss Tzanellis, Miss Coles and Mrs Labos as well as the rest of our staff for making the evening so wonderful! 

On Tuesday our leadership team went to Kingsgrove RSL to represent our school for Anzac Day commemorations. They were accompanied by Mrs Zreika and were great representatives of our school.

On 11 April 2025, our school community gathered to commemorate ANZAC Day with a heartfelt service led by our student leaders. We were privileged to be joined by guests from Kingsgrove RSL Club, whose presence added special significance to the occasion. Through thoughtful speeches, reflective moments, and a shared sense of gratitude, we honoured the bravery and sacrifice of all who have served. Lest we forget.

On 25 March, our student leadership team had a fantastic experience at the National Young Leaders Day Conference at the International Convention Centre in Sydney. They gained valuable insights into leadership, learning how to communicate effectively, inspire others, and tackle challenges with confidence. Through powerful keynote speeches and interactive workshops, our students discovered new ways to make a positive impact in our school and community. The event not only boosted their leadership skills but also gave them the tools and motivation to take on more responsibility and lead with purpose. 

Our extra-curricular lunch clubs have been very successful this term. Students have reported that they have enjoyed these clubs and look forward to the days their interest club is on. A huge thank you to our amazing teachers who go above and beyond to provide these opportunities for our students.

A healthy breakfast is the best way to start the day. It fuels our brains, helps with concentration, and gives students the energy they need to learn and thrive. Our Breakfast Club which is held every Tuesday to Thursday ensures all students have access to a nutritious start to their morning.

We are very thankful to Foodbank for their generous support in making this possible. Their ongoing partnership helps us provide this vital service to our school community. We are also very grateful to our parent/carer volunteers who assist us every Tuesday to Thursday. Thank you also to Mrs Sklavounos, Mrs Zreika, Ms Gardner and Mr Polychroni who have also assisted with this very important initiative. 

If you can volunteer your time to assist in Breakfast Club next term, please let Mrs Sklavounos know when we return to school. 

As we head into the holidays, we kindly remind all families to prioritise safety and respect around our school.

Please take extra care when driving near the school, always obey road rules, and avoid parking in driveways or no-stopping zones. These areas need to remain clear to ensure the safety of our students, families walking to and from school as well as access for our neighbours.

Let us also continue to show kindness and respect to one another during drop-off and pick-up times. A little patience goes a long way in keeping our school community safe and positive.

Thank you for working with us to keep everyone safe!

Our end-of-term picnic on Friday was a wonderful celebration enjoyed by all! As always, our picnics are well supported and filled with an abundance of fantastic food. The sun was shining, laughter filled the air, and smiling faces could be seen all around.

Thank you to all the families who joined us and supported our students—it means so much to them. They often tell us how much they enjoy having their families visit and be part of their school day. We truly appreciate your continued involvement in making these moments so special!

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Ms Haralambous, who will be joining our school at the beginning of Term 2. Ms Haralambous is the successful candidate from the Merit Selection process for the Special Education teacher position. She brings with her signifcant experience in Special Education, and we are excited to welcome her to our school community.

As this term comes to a close, we also say farewell to Miss Kim and Miss Willows. We sincerely thank them for their dedication and the work they have done with 3-4K and 4-6M and wish them all the very best in their future endeavours. Next term, we also welcome Mrs Chokr, who will be teaching 3-4K while we undertake another Merit Selection process for a Special Education Teacher. 

I would also like to share that Mrs Batalis, who is currently on leave from our school, has been successful in obtaining the Teacher Librarian position through Merit Selection at another school. Mrs Batalis has been a valued member of our school community for many years. While she is excited to begin this next chapter in her professional life, she has shared that she will miss our school dearly. We thank Mrs Batalis for all her hard work, passion, and commitment to MHPS over the years. I know you will join us in congratulating Mrs Batalis and wishing her all the very best in her new role.

Next term, Mrs O'Dowd will be joining us as the Deputy Principal – Inclusion and Support. We warmly welcome her to MHPS and look forward to the experience and dedication she brings to the role. I would also like to extend our sincere thanks to Mrs Sklavounos for all her work and commitment while acting in this position throughout the term. 

I would like to express my deep gratitude to our dedicated teachers and staff for their unwavering commitment to nurturing and supporting the growth and learning of our students. 

Thank you also to our parents and carers for your continued support and commitment to our school.

Wishing everyone a safe and restful break!

Kindest regards

Elizabeth Markovski 

TERM 1 CALENDAR 2025

In English, students have been studying the 'We're going on a Bear Hunt' and 'Alexander's Outing' texts. Students are learning how to identify a narrative as a real or imaginative story with characters and events, that can be told through words, images and actions. They are learning to retell a story with beginning, middle and end and using drawings to tell a story. Everyday students are exploring sounds, words, composing sentences and drawing pictures to match what they have written.

In maths, we have been focusing on patterns, for example, ABABABABA or ABBABBABBABB this is called a repeated pattern something that repeats over and over again. Students are learning to describe a pattern by referring to attributes such as colour, size, shape and length as well as subitising, using the dice patterns and dominoes to represent numbers.

Year 5 students visited our classrooms to assist in making our Easter hats.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday!

English
Stage 1 students have been diving into the world of informative and descriptive writing through the engaging stories Sophie Scott Goes South and Koala Ark. These books have sparked lively discussions about penguins in Antarctica and the impact of bushfires near billabongs. Students have been building their reading and writing skills by focusing on Sight Words and using their knowledge of alphabet sounds and letter combinations to spell new words with confidence.

Mathematics
Our young mathematicians have been developing a strong understanding of numbers, with a special focus on addition and place value. They have been using dice games to practise the Count On strategy and exploring number combinations to 10 with 10 Frames. These hands-on activities are helping students strengthen their number sense in an enjoyable and interactive way.

Science
This term, Stage 1 has been discovering how materials can be changed for different purposes. A highlight has been making playdough and conducting exciting experiments like colour mixing. Students have been thinking like scientists—making predictions, testing their ideas, and observing results. It has been a fantastic opportunity for curiosity, creativity, and hands-on learning!

As Term 1 comes to an end, we would like to thank our wonderful students and families for their enthusiasm and support. We wish everyone a safe, happy, and restful holiday break. Enjoy your time with family and friends, and we look forward to another exciting term of learning ahead!

This term, Stage 2 students have been deeply engaged with the novel The Thing About Oliver by Debra Kelly. As part of their exploration of the text, students participated in a hot seating activity, where they stepped into the shoes of characters from the book. This allowed students to develop an understanding of the characters by asking and answering open-ended questions. The activity encouraged critical thinking, active listening and helped bring the story to life in a fun and interactive way.

This term, Stage 2 students wore blue to recognise World Autism Awareness Day. It was a meaningful opportunity to help students build empathy and understanding around autism, and to celebrate the strengths and uniqueness of every individual. 

This week, Year 3 and 4 students were very excited to join their buddy class for a special Easter hat making session! Students worked together to design and decorate their own Easter-themed hats in preparation for the Easter Hat parade on Friday. It was a fantastic opportunity to build friendships, share ideas and be creative!

Stage 3 have continued to work hard in their classrooms to complete units of work for all subjects. We have enjoyed our learning of literacy through our novel study, and we engaged in daily math’s tasks and hands-on activities. We also continued working through our History and Science units.

There have been a lot of celebrations over the last few weeks. We had fun showcasing our traditional cultural dress during our Harmony Day celebrations. There were many conversations around our cultures, which informed students of the wide range of traditions and beliefs within our classes and school. Student creativity was on display with our annual Easter Hat Parade. It was wonderful to see so many different types of hat designs and creations this year.

Year 5 students have been thriving in their newly appointed roles as Peacekeepers. The Peacekeeper Program involves self-nominated Year 5 students accompanying the school staff on playground duty to support students, problem solve and promote fun and enjoyable behaviour. 

Our student leadership group had an enjoyable time attending the Young Leaders Day. They listened to high profile key speakers talk about their journey to success. In addition, the leaders also participated in the ANZAC Day Service at Kingsgrove RSL. They certainly have been busy and excellent representatives of our school. 

Staff have created positive, supportive learning spaces, and we’ve also enjoyed some great moments of collaboration with mainstream classes—helping to build a strong sense of community.

Next term, we’ll continue to focus on inclusion and building strong relationships across the school, with support from families, carers and staff working together.

Thank you for your ongoing support this term. We hope everyone enjoys a safe and relaxing break. We look forward to seeing all our students back, refreshed and ready for Term 2!

Term One has been a busy and exciting time in the McCallums Hill Public School Library. Our Kindergarten students have been learning about library rules and routines, including how to borrow and return books. They now know where to find books on the shelves and how to take good care of them. Stage One students have been reviewing library expectations, learning about alphabetical shelf order, and understanding call numbers. They also explored the works of author Pamela Allen. Stage Two students focused on Dewey Decimal classification, learning about different genres, and discussing cyber safety. Stage Three students completed their review of library procedures, studied different authors, and focused on cyber safety to help them use technology responsibly.

We are also excited to announce that all students have started reading for the Premier's Reading Challenge. We encourage students to continue recording the titles they read through their Department of Education portal. For more information, please visit the Premier's Reading Challenge website. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to challenge themselves and develop a love for reading.

In other exciting news, Scholastic Book Club Loop ordering has started, and we are busy preparing for National Simultaneous Storytime on Wednesday May 21. We’re also looking forward to celebrating Book Week from August 16 to August 23 with the theme "Book an Adventure." We’re sure it will be a fun and inspiring time in the library.

Enjoy the holiday break and remember to keep reading for the Premier's Reading Challenge. Reading regularly will help your child continue to grow as a reader. Thank you for your support, and we look forward to a wonderful term ahead.

🎨 Digital Art Club 
 Our young digital artists have been exploring creativity navigating Google Drive and Google Drawings! This term, we learned how to design our very own mosaics. We experimented with shapes, colours, and patterns to bring unique digital artworks to life, creating a wall of fame. Great job, artists!

Robotics Club 🤖

The Robotics Club has been buzzing with excitement as students dive into building and programming with LEGO WeDo robots! This term, our club members put their problem-solving skills to the test, creating robots that can move, react, and even complete simple tasks. It's been a great hands-on experience that’s sparking creativity and teamwork among our future engineers!

It is a requirement that students attend school, and all non-attendance days must be explained. If your child is away from school, please make sure that you communicate with the office about the reason for this. Some of the reasons may include:

• sickness – with identification of what type of sickness not just ‘sick’ 
• medical appointment 
• travel  
• attendance at urgent or exceptional family circumstances. 

It is also important that all children are at school by 9am. The diagrams below show the lost time and its cumulative effect on missing out on school.

Our preferred method of payment is online, this can be accessed through our school app or website. Feel free to contact the front office if you require any help with this.

If you are unable to make payment online and wish to pay cash, please ensure you have placed all money in an envelope or zip lock bag clearly marked with your child's name and class and what the payment is for.

school bytes instructions.pdf

 Spriggy_Schools_Flyer_DL_Bleed.pdf

Spriggy Schools Canteen Guide_ Adding Menu Items & Options (1) (1).pdf

Spriggy_Schools_Posters_A4_Bleed.pdf

 A checklist for parents -

App checklist for parents.pdf

The lost property has recently been organised in different sections. Parents are encouraged to check lost property regularly to ensure students have their belongings. Any non-uniform items will be sent to charity. This will be done at end of each Term. Please ensure that all belongings are clearly labelled so that they can be returned to the student. 

Please see images below of driving offences in school zones.

Please remember there is only a 10-minute park from 8.00am-9.30am and 2.30-4.00pm on school days. Please note the signs and make sure you keep to the 10-minute limit. 

Please help keep our school safe.  If you see anything unusual happening in the school grounds at any time, please call School Security on 1300 880 021.

02 9759 4396
mccallumhi-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au
McCallum Street, Roselands NSW 2196
mccallumhi-p.schools.nsw.gov.au