Keep free: Saturday 29 November (3pm-8.30pm) for the SGPS Great Fete! 

Although we are now in week 2, I warmly welcome you back for an action-packed Term 4. We also welcome eight new students and their families. This term we look forward to continuing to work in partnership with you to ensure the best possible educational outcomes for each one of our students. This term is a very important one in terms of evaluative reporting. The application and achievements of each student across terms 3 & 4 will be assessed in preparation for the Semester 2 progress report. 

This week the school forwarded to families this term’s ‘Stage Newsletter’. The newsletter included a summary of teaching and learning for this term, class timetables and relevant dates. Parents and carers are asked to read this important information and refer to it as a guide to what is happening for your child at the school in term 4. 

Congratulations to Olivia C (5C) who was the overall winner of the 76th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) Mission Patch Competition. Olivia’s design will be used in a future space mission. The competition was open to all Australian schools. Olivia had the exclusive opportunity to meet-and-greet real astronauts. She was even captured on the Channel Nine Today Show. We thank Mrs Corso for including our school in this event and attending the Young Space Explorers Day during the school holidays.  The Young Space Explorers event partnered with NSW Department of Education was during the IAC Public Day on 3 October 2025 at Darling Harbour.

Many of our students are active participants and high achievers in a variety of activities beyond what our school offers. The school executive and staff welcome all achievements attained by our students. Parents and students are encouraged to make the school aware of when any of our students accomplish something special. Congratulatory recognition may be via a teacher sticker or a mention in an assembly.  

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 

The school executive is currently planning for 2026. If any family with children currently in Kindergarten to Year 5 intends to leave Samuel Gilbert PS at the end of the school year please notify the school office. 

Students are welcome to have a water bottle at school. This week we experienced hot days and correct hydration should enable greater learning. Please ensure only water is brought to school. The bottle should have a lid as well as having a label with your child’s name. Depending on the class arrangement considered by the teacher, water bottles may be kept in the classroom or in a student’s nearby school bag. 

A group led by researchers at Macquarie University are collecting data from all NSW schools as part of their Department of Education funded ‘Screen Use and Addiction Research Fund’ project, ‘Best practice in screen use for education - empowering students, teachers and school communities for digital learning’.  

All NSW public school students and their parents/carers are invited to participate in the research. For details on how to participate in the survey, please click Parent/carer and student survey. 

"Digital devices and their associated use are commonplace within school settings around the world. NSW students are generally in-step with their national and international peers when it comes to the ownership of digital devices such as mobile phones. Digital device use, or screen use, is often problematised for its perceived impact on mental, physical and social health, but little is known about such impacts in NSW education settings.” NSW Dept of Education 

Please keep in your mind the 84,000 students attempting the Higher School Certificate (HSC) examination this week and in the coming weeks. We especially should be thinking about our school’s 2019 Year 6 students and Kindergarten 2013. I vividly remember attending the Canberra Camp with them in Year 6.  

We wish each HSC candidate all the very best to attain the result they deserve, to realise their future aspirations.  

Greg McLaren
PRINCIPAL

Our school’s Annual Presentation Assembly will be held at Cherrybrook Technology High School on Wednesday 10 December. 

As this is a whole school assembly seating will be limited at Cherrybrook Technology High School and tickets will be required. 

The assembly will commence at 11.00am and will conclude by approximately 1.00pm. Permission notes and further details of the assembly have been sent via School Bytes. Please complete this information as soon as possible so that numbers can be confirmed for parent seating and the booking of buses 

This assembly provides the opportunity to showcase some of our Creative Arts groups and celebrate student achievement for the year. The Kindergarten and Year 6 students will perform on stage, as will junior and senior vocal groups. Miss Stacey’s Before School groups will perform a combined routine and the Performance Band will play pre show entertainment and open the assembly with the anthem and two pieces. 

Due to limited seating at CTHS tickets for our Presentation Assembly will initially be limited to two per household. 

We hope this gives everyone an opportunity to attend who wishes to. The assembly will also be live streamed for those who are unable to attend.

Selective school and opportunity class applications for classes in Year 7 and Year 5 2027 open on Thursday 6 November and close on Friday 20m February. The testing will be held in local high schools – Selective Test Friday 1^st May and Saturday 2 May and Opportunity Class Test Friday 8 May and Saturday 9 May. A link to the application site will be sent via the school app when it becomes available.

A reminder to all Year 6 families that it is important to confirm your Year 7 placement with your selected High School if you have not yet done so. If you are not accepting your local high school placement in preference to a private or selective high school it is helpful if you could let them know. All government High Schools will be having an open day for their Year 7 2024 students on Tuesday 2 December. If you have made changes to your intended High School please advise our school office. 

Further to this please inform the office if you do not wish the information regarding your child’s 2026 High School to be shared with the Year 6 Dinner Committee for display at the end of the year.

Thank you to Mrs Medcalf for her organisation of the Mock High School experience for our Year 6 students. You will find further information about this later in the newsletter. 

At the end of last term Samuel Gilbert sent a team of athletes to the Sydney West Athletics Carnival as members of the Castle Hill team. Castle Hill placed 2^nd overall to a strong Penrith team who came in 1^st. Congratulations to Aria F. ( 3^rd in 800m and 2^nd in 1500m) Savannah F. ( 5^th Iin Relay, 4^th in 200 and 7^th in 100m finals ), Zara M., Beverley B. and Isabella K. ( 5^th in relay), Cooper S., Jarlath J. Harry W. and Asher T. ( 2^nd in Relay) and Jarlath ( 16^th in Shot Put) and Caelan D. (6^th in discus and 7^th in Shot Put). 

Our Senior Boys Relay team and Aria F. ( 800 and 1500m) have been competing at the NSWPSSA Athletics Championships on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Congratulations to Aria, Cooper, Jarlath, Harrison and Asher on reaching this level. We hope you went well.

We are excited to congratulate Veronica M. (4N) on her successful audition for the Pulse Alive Dance Company for 2026. Veronica also attended an Arts Unit Ballet workshop in the holidays which she particularly enjoyed.

Miss Stacey and her Before School groups are enjoying preparing their item for this year’s Presentation Day Assembly. Miss Stacey will be holding auditions for the 2026 Before School next Tuesday 28 October. Only students who have been given permission on School Bytes to audition will be included. 

Please understand that the number of places in these groups is far outweighed by the number of students who audition, so some disappointment is inevitable. 

If any families would like to donate jazz shoes and/or past dance costumes that their children no longer use we would be very appreciative.  These often help students in school groups who forget, lose or can’t afford shoes.

Next Thursday, 30 October the SRC will be holding a mufti day to support Ronald McDonald House. 

For those who wish to be challenged the theme is dress in the initials of your teacher, however sensible, comfortable mufti is also fine. 

If your child chooses to dress in mufti a minimum of a gold coin donation is required.

We are so excited to have started the journey of formal schooling with our youngest students. Some of our preschoolers from Castle Glen have already come to visit the school for our Spring Carnival. We had a great turn out for our first Playgroup last Friday and our first formal transition day ran smoothly. We thank Mrs Alam and our Kindergarten teachers for their dedication to ensuring a smooth and safe transition for our Kindergarten 2026 and we look forward to seeing them again next week.

Cathie Barclay and Gilliane Appave
DEPUTY PRINCIPALS

Late last term, our SGPS WriteOn 2025 winners celebrated their success at the State Library of NSW in a formal awards ceremony.  Aria F (4W) and Estelle C (6K) were thrilled to be awarded with their bronze (Aria) and silver (Estelle) certificates. This was a huge achievement for our two students, who were among 658 entries who were chosen as an award winner. Following the ceremony, award recipients participated in a writing workshop with Nathan Luff, Children's author of 'The Nerd Herd' series. Congratulations again to Aria and Estelle. SGPS are so very proud of you! 
 

Speaking and listening skills build the foundation for your child’s learning at school. These skills help a child to be able to talk with others, create friendships and actively participate in all activities at school. If you speak a language other than English at home, it’s important you continue to support your child to use their home language. 

Handy tips to try at home when talking and communicating with your child: 

• Talk with your child about a range of topics, for example, things that happen each day. Share stories from your culture, your own stories and your child’s stories.  

• Describe or talk about things as they are happening, for example, “We are going to walk to school today and go past the park.”  

• Listen to your child and encourage them to take turns. Show how to listen and interact in a conversation.  

• When talking with your child ask questions that require more than a yes or no reply, for example, “What did you do at school today?” or “Tell me about all the things that happened at school today.” 

• Use questions that start with how or why. For example, “How many birds do you see in the park?” When asking questions give your child time to answer.  

• Make conversations fun. Make up funny or nonsense rhymes, talk and sing with your child. 

• Retell a story. Talk about what happened at the beginning, middle and end of the story. After reading, talk about the characters or your child's favourite part of the book.  

• Share ideas on what might happen when going to an event like a celebration or going to school. After the event, talk about what happened and ask them to share their thoughts and feelings.  

• Support your child to create their own story from their imagination. Ask questions such as “What is the story about?” “Who is in the story?” “What happens in the story?”  

Amanda Keane
Relieving Assistant Principal, Curriculum and Instruction

Welcome back to our SGPS families to Term 4. There are a number of key events for the P&C this term and so we thank our families in advance for taking the time to read and support our upcoming initiatives. 

Do you have a student who may be interested in joining our fabulous SGPS P&C Band Program in 2026? We have a wonderful music program, and we are looking for students interested in joining our Training Band in 2026. Research indicates that children who learn a musical instrument develop improved brain function, memory, enhanced motor skills, discipline, teamwork and resilience to name a few! If you would like to learn more, please join us at the Training Band Information Evening on Tuesday 28^th October at 6pm in the New Hall. A big thank you to the Band Committee and School Staff for their ongoing support of the program.

We have a wonderful community of parents and carers at SGPS. Have you considered how you can make a difference to your child and their school? 

A great place to start is by attending the SGPS P&C General Meeting and AGM, to be held on Tuesday 11 November at 7:30pm in the Library. This will be an in person meeting only and all parents and carers are invited to attend. 

We need you! If you have any questions or would like more about how you can use your time or skills to support our school community please do not hesitate to send an email to our P&C President, Katie at president@sgpspc.org.au. 

General Meeting: The General Meeting will be held on Tuesday 11 November at 7:30pm in the Library. 

AGM: Immediately following the General Meeting, the AGM will commence where all P&C Executive roles will be declared vacant and nominations are invited for 2025/2026. 

All forms will be available via the School App.

Have you?

• Nominated a 2025 SGPS P&C Life Member? Nominations for P&C Life Membership close tomorrow, Friday 31 October. If you know of someone who has made a significant contribution to the school community in their role at the P&C and whose youngest child is leaving SGPS this year please complete the form available on the School App and submit it to etye@sgpspc.org.au asap. 
• Completed a P&C Membership Form for 2025? (You must complete the form by Friday 7 November and return it with the membership fee of $1 for voting rights in 2025/2026). Forms can be emailed to secretary@sgpspc.org.au. If you don’t have a gold coin, feel free to transfer $1 to the General P&C Account (Acct No: 385804, BSB 032-164) – please include your name. 
• Nominated for a SGPS P&C Executive role for 2026? (Forms are due by Friday 7 November or at the P&C Meeting).

All relevant forms will be posted on the School App. If you have any questions or would like more information about any of the above, please email Katie Pike (SGPS P&C President) on president@sgpspc.org.au or Jason Atkins (SGPS P&C Secretary) at secretary@sgpspc.org.au. 

Next Thursday 30 October, SGPS P&C on behalf of our parents, carers and students will celebrate World Teachers’ Day. This is an opportunity to thank our Executive, teaching and SASS and support staff on behalf of the school community for the good work that they do throughout the year. This year, the P&C on behalf of the school community, will provide morning tea. If you would like to take the time to thank an SGPS staff member, please send along a card or take a moment to let them know you appreciate them.

Our postponed Great Fete is now a Twilight Fete! 
Saturday 29th November 2025:   3pm – 8:30pm

Rides: You can pre-purchase ride armbands, which allow unlimited access to the rides. Pre-purchased armbands are $40 each and are sold until Friday 28 November. Armbands are $45 on Fete Day and individual tickets for rides are $10 each. You can purchase your unlimited ride bands here:  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.

• The Giant Raffle
  The Giant Raffle will be drawn at the Great Fete on the new date. All your sold tickets are in the barrel and are being kept safely. You can still purchase raffle tickets online here:

  https://www.trybooking.com/DENET

• The Upcycle Stall
  Need to do a pre-Christmas clean-up of your place? Start getting all your unwanted pre-loved items ready for donation cause we’re doing the Upcycle Stall again!!!
  All items donated need to be in excellent condition/like new/in working order. We are accepting toys, games, crockery/cutlery, books, DVD’s, CD’s, vinyl records, household items, home décor, linen, small appliances, outdoor games, clothes & shoes (no underwear). We will provide collection times closer to the date!

• Cake Donations
  We will soon be putting a call out for donations for the cake stall in November – if you have cake packaging at home from August please hold on to it until then. If you are unable to donate for the new date, please bring any unused packaging back to the canteen.

• Great Fete Socials
  Please connect with our Great Fete socials for more information (and to help get the news out to the community): https://facebook.com/sgpsgreatfete https://instagram.com/greatfete 

Who doesn’t love inflatables and a colour run?!
The P&C are returning again this year with the Fun Run on Thursday 11 December 2025. A note with all the information will be coming home shortly together with a sign up for volunteers.

- Staff Appreciation Morning Tea – Thursday 30^th October  
- November P&C General & AGM: Tuesday 11^th November 7:30pm Library
- Twilight Fete: Saturday 29^th November 3pm-8:30pm
- Fun Run – 11^th December

More information: For more information on events and news 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 

Kind regards,
Elizabeth Tye
SGPS P&C

Last term, during week 9, our very own Training Band performed at the K-2 Assembly and played exceptionally well. Thank you to the Class Teacher for allowing us to share the stage during your hosting week — much appreciated for supporting these budding musicians!

We are now back in Term 4, with rehearsals underway and exciting events coming up!

There will be an Information Evening for parents and children to attend at 6pm Tuesday, 28^th October in the New School Hall. This session normally finishes before 7pm and will help families make an informed decision about becoming part of the band program and choosing an instrument that your child will enjoy and is a good fit for your family. You will have the opportunity to hear the different instruments and find out the key information about being in the Band Program.

To Express your Interest in joining the Training Band in 2026, please complete the form at the link below by Friday, 31^st October: 

https://www.bandforte.com.au/bin/bf.dll?portal&pkey=ODLL-EKPO-LPDG-JFDG

This will enable your child to attend the suitability assessment on Thursday, 6th November at school. The following week we will book your child in one morning before school for instrument trials. We will notify you by email once the Expression of Interest has closed with further details.

If you have any questions concerning the SGPS P&C Band Program, please contact our Band Coordinator, Greg Pratley at sgpsbandcoordinator@gmail.com.

• Band Demonstration, Thursday, 23^rd October Old Hall
• Concert Band performance, Friday, 24^th October at Assembly
• Training Band Information Night, Tuesday, 28^th October from 6pm New Hall
• Fete Performance (Tentative): Saturday, 29^th November
• Band Breakfast Christmas Party: Thursday 4^th December from 7.30am
• Performance Band at Presentation Day: Wednesday, 10^th December, at Cherrybrook Technology High School

Looking forward to a fantastic term of music and performances!

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

Sushi is now available on munch monitor only. It is available on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. 

We still have many children that don’t have lunch. Please check your order has gone through or that your children have lunch. 

Please check the roster and help out when you can. 

Thanks,
Jenelle, Sue and Kiarn

Welcome to Term 4. I hope everyone had a wonderful break, what did you read? We have a new Treasure Hunt in the library, 19 different book characters are hiding around the Library, all you have to do is match the character to the author who created them on the Treasure Hunt list, decode the letters to solve the riddle and then collect your prize.

If you have the time, I have some new books that need covering, please come and see me to collect a bag of books for covering.

Last week for borrowing will be Week 6, this will allow time for lost or misplaced books to be located and returned, it will also afford me time to organise the books and prepare the library for 2026. Lessons will continue as normal through to the end of the year and the Library will also remain open at lunchtimes Monday to Thursday each week.

If any parents have any questions about book recommendations or reading suggestions, please feel free to pop in to see me for a friendly chat, I am available each morning from 8:15am until the bell rings and most afternoons (except Tuesday) from 3:00pm until 3:30pm.

French was born Jacqueline Anne Ffrench in Sydney in 1953 and grew up in Brisbane. She attended Brisbane State High School. Her parents divorced in 1967, and when her mother changed her surname from Ffrench to French, Jackie also did so.

French began writing Rain Stones, her first book for children, when she was 30 years old, living in a shed and in need of money to register her car.

French's books include both fictional, factional and non-fictional accounts of Australian history including Nanberry: Black Brother White, Tom Appleby, A Day to Remember, A Waltz for Matilda, The Girl from Snowy River, The Road to Gundagai, The Night They Stormed Eureka and Flood and Fire and Let the Land Speak: A history of Australia - how the land created our nation. Her most recent works include To Love a Sunburnt Country and The Beach they called Gallipoli, Fire, and The Hairy-Nosed Wombats Find a New Home. French's royalties for that book are donated towards wombat preservation and research.

Her books Hitler's Daughter and Pete the Sheep were adapted for the stage by Monkey BAA Theatre Company. Hitler's Daughter toured Australia in 2012 and the United States in 2013. Pete the Sheep toured Australia in 2014.

She is a regular contributor to the Australian Women's Weekly and the Canberra Times. She also presented gardening segments on the long-running Australian TV series Burke's Backyard.

French studied the behaviour and ecology of wombats for 40 years and is the ambassador and former director of The Wombat Foundation, which raises funds for research into the preservation of wombats. She is also the ACT Children's Week Ambassador, 2011 Federal Literacy Ambassador, patron of Books for Kids, YESS, Speld ACT, Speld Qld, DAGS (Dyslexia Association Gawler), and joint patron of Monkey BAA Theatre for Young People with Susanne Gervais and Morris Gleitzman.

French is dyslexic and wrote I Spy a Great Reader to help teachers and parents teach dyslexic children to read using varied and new methods.

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.

If you are interested in helping out in the library, I always have books for covering. If you have 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. 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.

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.

The NSW Premier's Reading Challenge closed to student entries on Friday 19 September.

All student records have been confirmed and approved.

Certificates will be sent out to schools sometime in Term 4, they will be handed out to students at an appropriate time.If you have any questions, please, come and speak to me before or after school in the library.

Week 6            17-21 November – Final week for Borrowing

Week 2            Issue 7 handed out
Week 5            Monday 10^th November Issue 7 orders close
Week 6            Issue 8 handed out
Week 8            Monday 1^st December Issue 8 orders close

Yours in reading,
Adam Hands
Librarian.
 

On Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th November, students in Year 6 will participate in 2 days of a mock high school program. Students will be placed into 5 ‘high school classes’ and they will follow a timetable for the 2 days. 

Please note that students will be put randomly into the five classes and they will not be based on friendship grouping. We feel this is an important aspect of the program as many students will not necessarily be going to high school with their current primary school friends. 

Students will need to carry their timetable and bag with them throughout the 2 days and they will get to experience a range of subjects. The goal of the program is for students to be able to take responsibility for their belongings, experience changes of teachers, rooms and subjects and follow a timetable in preparation for the transition to Year 7. Timetables for the program will be handed out in week 5 and spare timetables will be available at the school office. Please keep an eye out for additional information about the program later in the term.

Mrs N. Medcalf (Learning and Support Teacher)           Ms C. Barclay (Deputy Principal)

Week 3
Tuesday, 28 October
Kindergarten 2026 Transition no. 2 at 9:15-10:30am
Parent information evening for Band 2026 at 6pm in the new school hall
Before school dance auditions
Wednesday, 29 October
Tri Schools Debate Round 5 - Sherwood Ridge PS Hosting
Thursday, 30 October
P&C Recognising World Teachers' Day   

Week 4
Monday, 3 November
Schools Spectacular Rehearsal 2
Tuesday, 4 November
Whole School Photo
Wednesday, 5 November
Kindergarten 2026 Transition no.3 at 9:15am-10:30am
Thursday, 6 November
Timbre Music Test for new members