It is this weekend! The Great Fete 2025 will be held on the school ground this Sunday 17 August. Our kind-hearted P&C members are spending countless hours ensuring the event is a huge success for the students and school community. Thank you to the volunteers, our parents and carers, who have already committed to contributing to the Great Fete. All available parents are encouraged to offer their time for the Great Fete to be successful whether it be on a stall, bake a cake, assist with pre fete preparations, setting up and /or packing up on the day. Many hands make light work and a great experience for our deserving students. We are extremely grateful to the sponsors of the Great Fete.

The National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLaN) is an annual national assessment sample for students in Years 3 and 5. In 2025 schools in NSW attempted the various tests online and via pen for Year 3 writing.

Below are the 2025 Years 5 and 3 NAPLaN results for Samuel Gilbert PS. We are again extremely pleased with the outcome of these sample tests. The teaching staff throughout the school will analyse the attempt by the students to reveal strengths and weaknesses that may assist with school planning.

As the NAPLaN website states “NAPLaN tests are one aspect of each school’s assessment and reporting process and do not replace the extensive, ongoing assessments made by teachers about each student’s performance. Each teacher will have the best insight into their students’ educational progress. Parents/carers can use NAPLaN reports, along with other school assessment reports, to discuss their child’s strengths and areas for improvement with their teacher”.

NAPLaN is measured in four bands:
EXCEEDING / STRONG / DEVELOPING / NEEDS ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
Below are the combined Exceeding and Strong results for 2025:

Stat Similar Schools Group (SSSG): The school comparison with the SSSG allows a Department created like-for-like assessment of the school’s students’ performance in the Years 3 & 5 NAPLaN sample with schools considered by the Dept. of Education with similar profiles of educational advantage/disadvantage. This may or may not be neighbouring schools.

This year’s Science Week theme is ‘Decoding the Universe–Exploring the unknown with nature’s hidden language’. This theme invites our students and teachers across Australia to delve into the mysteries of the Universe by exploring the fundamental languages of nature, including mathematics and the groundbreaking field of quantum science.

Next week is the National Children’s Book Week. The event aims to promote reading and an enhanced interest of books among children. The 2025 theme is ‘Book an Adventure!’.

We congratulate Mrs Alison Freeman who through a merit selection process was successful in gaining a permanent position as School Administrative Manager at our school. We also congratulate Mrs Debbie Johns who through a merit selection process was successful in gaining a permanent position as School Administrative Officer at the school.

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 

A strategic direction in our School Excellence Plan 2025-2028 is ‘increased opportunities for communication and engagement with all community stakeholders’. As we embrace the vibrant spirit of our community as will be displayed at the Great Fete, we want to take a moment to highlight the importance of ongoing connection and collaboration among us. Our school is not just a place of learning, it is the heartbeat of the greater Knightsbridge area, bringing together students, families, and educators in a shared mission to foster growth and development. We welcome parents and community members to volunteer for various school activities with school and P&C programs. Your involvement can make a significant impact, whether it is helping in the classroom or organising events.

Communication is key to our success. We encourage all families to stay informed by regularly checking our school website and social media channels. We thrive on celebrating student success. Your feedback is invaluable, so please feel free to reach out with any suggestions, concerns, or ideas for future initiatives.

Together, let us continue to build a supportive and thriving Samuel Gilbert school community for our students. Thank you for your ongoing commitment and involvement.

Tomorrow is Victory in the Pacific Day or 'VP Day' which is commemorated across Australia and the world. Nearly one million Australians served in the armed forces during World War II. It was also the first time since European settlement that Australia came under attack. We commemorate those who served in the war. Some 40,000 Australians did not return home to their families. Over 17,000 of them lost their lives while fighting in the war around the Pacific. Lest We Forget!

Greg McLaren
PRINCIPAL

It was wonderful to see so many families at our open afternoon last Wednesday. Students enjoyed having the opportunity to sing, dance, play and even cook for our many visitors. We hope you also enjoyed the classroom visits and the chance to admire the high quality work being produced by our students.
Thank you to the Year 6 parents who supported our student run sausage sizzle with sausages and drinks and also with your time by assisting on the day. Thanks also to the new Showground Village Woolworths who generously donated gift cards which provided the bread, additional sausages and sauce for the event. The money raised will be used to purchase a gift for the school from Year 6 2025.
We will be sending a short survey home to families to seek your feedback on the timing of this event.

This Friday a number of our PSSA sports teams will be playing in the Winter Sports Semi finals. Congratulations to all teams on their participation this season and best wishes to the following teams which have qualified for the semi finals:
- Junior Netball 1 and 2 – playing Winston Hills and Beaumont Hills respectively.
- Senior Netball 1 and 2 – playing Bella Vista and Crestwood respectively.
- Girls Newcombe Ball – playing Murray Farm at Sherwood Ridge Public School.
- Junior and Senior Rugby League playing Winston Hills and Beaumont Hills North respectively at Crestwood Reserve.
- Junior AFL playing Oakhill Drive PS at Caddies Creek.

We ask that all jerseys be returned to coaches on the completion of the season.

On Saturday Miss Stacey’s dance groups competed in the Platinum Dance Eisteddfod. Stage 1, 2 and 3 all received Highly Commended in their section which saw them dancing against one another. Stage 3 were given a “golden ticket” to a finals series to be held on the 14 September. Congratulations Stage 3!

The Boys Stage 1 group also received the invitation to the September 14^th event as they placed 1^st in their section. Great job boys and congratulations!
   

On Sunday our Concert and Performance Bands took part in the Australian School Band and Orchestra Festival at Knox Grammar. This festival was a wonderful experience for our students and we congratulate both bands and Mrs Skinner on their silver awards.

It was disappointing for our Senior Girls Knockout Netball team to lose their semi final  match against Narellan Vale PS last week by 15 to 12. The girls played well but were hampered by injury and a strong opposition. Well done on reaching this level girls. 

Today Aria F. (4W) and Shriya V. (5C) battled it out against some of the regions best spellers in the Premier’s Spelling Bee. Competing online against 31 other students Aria made it through to Round 6 (unseen words)  with 10 other students, an amazing effort. After spelling tricky words such as raucous and chalet she was stumped by scalpel and left Round 6 along with two others. Congratulations Aria on a most impressive effort. 

Shriya made it through to Round 5 with 12 other contestants where they needed to tackle some very difficult unseen words. After spelling edifice, obsequious, camouflage correctly she got tricked eventually on pedestal. A fabulous effort Shriya. Congratulations.  
  

Applications for entry into selective schools in 2027 will open in November this year for students currently in Year 5. A number of selective schools will sometimes offer Open Days to assist families in making the decision of whether to apply or not. 

Sydney Technical High School is a selective high school for boys in Bexley.  They are holding an Open Morning for Year 5 students on Tuesday 23 September 2025. Their flyer is attached to this newsletter. 

What an amazing experience for our students to sing in the Sydney Opera House! Well done to Mrs Spears and the Festival of Music choir for their contribution to this outstanding event. As a part of the massed choir they not only had the opportunity to perform in the Opera House but also to the accompaniment of a full orchestra. Congratulations to all involved.

It was fun to be a part of the opening ceremony on Wednesday morning for the new Woolworths at Showground Village. We had a very immediate response to our request for singers from our various vocal groups to sing the National Anthem at the opening. We thank all parents for making the effort to transport the children to and from the centre to enable us to be a part of this event. The children enjoyed the experience and the large Samuel Gilbert presence certainly made it a special occasion. If you have not yet seen the new precinct it is certainly worth a visit with a number of services and dining options. Our children can be proud to say that they were some of the very first residents to enter this store. They also enjoyed sharing in the celebration cakes! It was interesting to hear from the Castle Hill Mayor, Hon Alex Hawke MP and Mark Hodge the member for Castle Hill on our rapidly changing district and the huge demand for greater infrastructure.

Our debaters continue to have success in debating across our two competitions.

Last week our Premiers team debated against a very strong team from John Purchase Public School . The team of Alaura, Kirsten, Sophia and Emelia had to contend with a very difficult topic as the affirmative side - "That we should never allow any primary school aged person to have or use money". The girls put up some very well crafted arguments and managed to secure a good win. 

The Premier's team are away today at Glenorie Public School and need to win that debate to be in the running to be Zone Champions for three years in a row.

The Trischools debaters were undefeated in their competition until yesterday, when they came up against a very improved Castle Hill Public team. The team of Miranda, Olivia, Tyghe and Shriya had to contend with being the affirmative side for a very, very tough topic - "That victims of crime should be allowed to choose a punishment for the person who offended against them”. Unfortunately our arguments were not as convincing as the opposition and they suffered a narrow loss.

The Trischools teams have their double header debate coming up at SGPS in Week 7 and these debates will be an interesting test to see where the teams are at with their debating skills.

We wish all our debaters the best of luck in their upcoming debates.

Mr J Wicks
Debating Coach

Cathie Barclay and Gilliane Appave
DEPUTY PRINCIPALS

As mentioned in the previous SGPS newsletter, our finalists’ work from the NSW Education Standards Authority’s (NESA) annual WriteOn competition is published below. Last edition, we enjoyed Zachary B’s (Stage 1) imaginative text titled ‘Could They Be Changing AI Robots?’. This edition, please enjoy the work of Aria F (Stage 2) and Estelle C (Stage 3).

Aria F:
Has the World Gone Crazy?
I always knew humans were weird. They stomp around, holler like a rumbling thunderstorm, and stare at tiny glowing rectangles all day. But today, I have started noticing something really suspicious.

First, the lady who always muttered, “Ugh, bugs!” whenever I crawled by—she did not mutter. Instead, she crouched down and said, “Wow! Look at this little beauty!” She called me little beauty! This must be an ephemeral dream.

Then, the grumpy old gardener who always moaned about “pests and vermin ruining his lettuce,” did not try to squish me. He put down his rake and offered me a leaf. A leaf! Like a waiter in a fancy restaurant. I was incredulous!

Something was up. Were the humans changing?

Even the teenager who always ignored me while glued to her glowing rectangle, leaned down, and whispered, “Slay bro, you’re cooking!” then she promptly took out her luminous rectangle and took a photograph of me! I had no idea what she meant but I puffed out my caterpillar chest with pride.

For the first time in my small, wiggly life, humans were not treating me like a walking snack for birds. They were treating me like a majestic creature. Like royalty! I even had my own paparazzi!

As I sat on my leaf and surveyed this baffling and inexplicable world, I pondered about today. It all started when I woke up. The scintillating sun was shyly peeking out from behind a puffy white cloud, casting golden ripples across the azure abyss of the sky. Its hesitant glow illuminated leaves of verdant lettuce that usually looked so scrumptious and enticing but today they just swayed monotonously like murmuring whispers in the breeze. I stretched my sleepy legs, but they felt awkward and were not gripping like before. Was gravity broken? My head felt light and the most peculiar thing of all, I was not feeling hungry for leaves. The usual delectable cabbage leaf I sat on, did not seem the least bit tantalising, and I was a connoisseur of leaves. I always knew the best ones.

Then I spotted Ravenous Rick and Voracious Vanessa. I called out to them, but they completely ignored me. “Hey!” I called out, indignantly. No response.

“Excuse me?! After everything we had been through together?! The Torrential Tumultuous Thunderstorm? The Spectacular Spinach Smorgasbord?” Why were they ostracising me? Could they be changing too?

Suddenly the aromatic nectareous scent of lavender wafted towards me. It was unmistakeably alluring and irresistible. I tried to crawl towards it, I stretched my back, my shoulders heaved, and I started flapping… and flying! A kaleidoscope of emotions surged through me. Fear. Shock. Exhilaration. Trepidation. Excitement. All vying for dominance. All of a sudden, realisation dawned. It was not them that had changed; it was me.

Estelle C:
Unchanging Hands- Shifting Footsteps
In the heart of an old town stands an ancient clocktower as it always has, whose weathered bricks bore witness to celebrations, achievements and days of sorrow, each weaving a thread of history into the tapestry of this town. Every second is marked by the clock face’s deliberate hands in a steady, unvarying pace. A chime reverberates through the streets, marking each passing hour with steadfast certainty – never faltering, never changing. It has seen lovers part, revolutions rise and fall, the sound of laugher drift by – always the same, even as the people beneath it shift, grow… disappear.

Through the café’s window, May hums, fingers drumming absentmindedly against her porcelain cup. There is a soft murmur of conversation and a certain comforting warmth as a dim glow envelops the room, illuminating the café. May’s gaze switches to something unseen. Perhaps, years ago, a woman had sat in this chair, humming a tune, fingers tracing the rim of a cup the very same. Perhaps, she too wondered whether the clocktower outside had noticed her presence at all. The café breathes with the rhythm of its customers – always moving, always changing - its walls constructed from the echoes of fleeting conversations, whispered confessions and hurried goodbyes. She belonged here – but only for now.

And yet, above it all, the clocktower stands. Fixed. Unmoving. Watching.

Outside, the streets will carry on, indifferent to the thought that one day, May will leave. The café will change hands, its walls repainted, tables rearranged, but someone will always sit in this chair, humming softly, tracing the rim of a cup. Voices will come and go, the cycle of life unfolding beneath the clock’s gaze.

Across the street an onlooker watches. They have seen this café a thousand times, passed by its glowing windows on cold nights, sat inside once, maybe twice, always with someone different, at a different point in their life. It feels unchanged, yet, when they look closely, they see subtle differences that tell them time has moved forward.

Their gaze lingers on a couple walking past. Could they have seen them before? Weeks ago? Or a year? Maybe in another lifetime when the streets were different, and the signs above shops hadn’t yet faded. Their footsteps fall in sync, their voices dip into hushed conversation as they weave through the ever-moving crowd. Had they always been like this? The way they move together – so familiar, so seamless – makes it seem like they had always existed like this. But time does not permit such permanence.

‘Could they be changing?’

The clocktower offers no response. Its presence looms, indifferent to the thoughts of those who walk beneath its gaze. The streets will continue their endless cycles. The café will welcome new faces, let go of old ones. The couple disappears into the flow of the town, their voices lost to the bustle of the crowd.

The onlooker turns away. The chime rings out once more.

And the clocktower stands.

Well done again to all our talented writers at SGPS!
Amanda Keane
Assistant Principal, Curriculum and Instruction

We are very excited to welcome our community this Sunday 17^th August 9:30am-3:00pm to the Great Fete. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Samuel Gilbert community, our parents and staff and all the volunteers for making this event possible. A big shout out to Katie Pike and the Great Fete Committee who have put in many hours over many months to make this event a success. The Great Fete is a wonderful family event featuring rides, entertainment, markets stalls and food trucks. We look forward to seeing you and your family there.
A few last reminders:-
Can you Volunteer? This event is not possible without our parent volunteers. We need your help to make the Great Fete a success. If you have an have an hour or two, please go to https://signup.com/go/WLfTDuA for a list of all the areas you can sign up to help, or if you know the area you want to help with go to the specific link below:

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

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

Please note, carnival games are not included with the unlimited armbands, and tickets must be purchased separately on the day of the Great Fete for these attractions.

Upcycle Donations: We are still receiving donations for the upcycle stall. Thank you to all those who have already made donations. It is not too late to contribute. Donations will be collected at the following times in the old school hall:
- Friday 15th August – 8:30-9:30am & 2:30-4pm
- Saturday 16th August – 9am-2pm 

All items donated need to be in excellent condition/like new/in working order. Items we are accepting are toys, games, crockery/cutlery, books, DVD’s, CD’s, vinyl records, household items, home décor, linen, small appliances, outdoor games, clothes & shoes (no underwear).

The Giant Raffle: All sold and unsold Raff Tickets are due back to the school office by Friday. Make sure the name and contact details are clearly written and the ticket stubs are returned to us with the student’s name on the back together with the money. Return the raffle tickets in an envelope to your child’s teacher (with cash). Thank you to all our families for your support.  

Can you help with Father's Day Events? 

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

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

Father’s Day BBQ
- Ordering supplies for the Breakfast
- Organising orders and volunteers
- Event set up and pack down

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

Upcoming Events: 
- Father’s Day Breakfast and Jersey Day – Friday 5^th of September 

Our next P&C meeting is Tuesday 9th September at 7:30pm in the School Library. All are welcome, we would love to meet you and serve our school well together.

More information: For more information on events and news please check out the following:
- Website: www.sgpspc.org.au
- Instagram: @TheGreatFete
- Fete Website: www.greatfete.com.au
- Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SGPSPC
- Fete Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sgpsgreatfete/ 
- School website: www.samuelgilbertnsw.edu.au
- School app: You can find the link to the school app on our front page of the www.sgpspc.org.au website 

Thank you for all your support!

Kind regards,

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

What a fantastic couple of weeks we’ve had during Term 3. Last week was dedicated to celebrating Education Week, and our band program was bustling with activity.

Week 3 kicked off on Monday with Open Band rehearsals, which ran through until Thursday. It was wonderful to see many parents popping in to watch their children rehearse. Mrs. Skinner led the band members with enthusiasm and expertise, guiding them through each piece of music and fostering a supportive rehearsal environment.

On Wednesday afternoon, all three bands performed beautifully for parents, friends, and family. The performances were a great showcase of the students’ hard work and dedication.

To top off a busy week, both Concert Band and Performance Band participated in the ASBOF (Australian Schools Bands and Orchestras Festival) on Sunday. We are proud to share that both bands received silver medals — a fantastic achievement for our young musicians!

A special mention to Lachlan Rule and Shaun Li who played in both Concert Band and Performance Band at ASBOF on Sunday.

This Sunday morning, the Performance Band will have the privilege of starting the festivities at the School’s Great Fete! We’re thrilled to present the SGPS Performance Band and set the tone for a terrific day with our performance.

We encourage everyone to come along, support the kids, and enjoy a fantastic day celebrating our school community. We look forward to seeing you there!

As always, please use Bandforte for any updates or to notify us if your child is sick or unable to attend a rehearsal or a performance. If you do not have access to Bandforte, kindly email me at sgpsbandcoordinator@gmail.com. or for any questions you may have. Bandforte is our main communication tool throughout the year, so we encourage you to stay connected through it for the latest news and updates.

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

Band Co-ordinator
Samuel Gilbert Public School Band

A big thank you for all your support with the Education Week Special Lunch. We had over 400 lunch orders, we hope the children all enjoyed them. Due to popular demand we will now stock the beef lasagne and spinach roll. Unfortunately we will no longer stock the Chicken Pesto.

We are still looking for volunteers so please check the sign up.

Thanks Jenelle, Sue and Kiarn

Next Week is Book Week!!!!!!!!
In my opinion, this is the best week of the year and we have even more happening to celebrate reading and literacy. On Monday 18^th August at 11:30am we will be holding our annual Book Character Parade – the whole family is welcome to attend, parents, grandparents, siblings, all are welcome to come along and cheer on the children (and teachers) parading in their favourite Book Character costumes, siblings who come dressed in costume will also have the opportunity to parade as well! Also, on Monday our Author Visit colouring competition closes – if you haven’t collected a colouring sheet yet, you still have time, just come and see me, Mr Hands, in the library, before school, at lunchtime or after school and ask for a sheet. Last applications close at 3:15pm Monday afternoon. The winner will be announced during Matt Rankin’s visit on Wednesday 20^th August. On Tuesday morning and Thursday morning we will be having special edition morning read sessions, reading books from the Children’s Book Council of Australia shortlisted books for 2025, if you would like to come to either or both of these sessions the doors to the library and the tiered learning space open at 8:15am and reading starts at 8:20am, I look forward to seeing you there and we may even have a surprise guest reader or two. On Wednesday 20^th August we will be having a guest speaker, local author Matt Rankin talking to Year 1 to Year 6 about the process of creating characters, writing books and publishing digitally and in print. His sessions will be held between recess and lunch, Years 1-3 will meet in the new hall at 11:20am and Years 4-6 will meet at 12:10pm. Matt Rankin will also be at the Great Fete on Sunday, selling his book for anyone interested in meeting him early.

Matt Rankin will be visiting Samuel Gilbert Public School Wednesday 20^th August for Book Week.

Born and raised in Sydney, first time author Matt Rankin lived a childhood that was dominated by a love of sport, going on to excel in Rugby League and Cricket. Matt discovered his passion for writing in his late 30s after being inspired while watching animated movies with his young family, believing his creative mind, along with being young at heart, was the perfect recipe for creating his own characters for many a generation to love.

His first printed book, Sapphire Millie and the Quest for the Unknown Destiny, is set amongst the spectacular Australian Bush, it is a heartwarming tale of love, loss, sacrifice and friendship between a group of young animal friends. Follow their journey through the bush with all its challenges as they face its dangers, excitement and raw beauty and see whether friendship can ultimately pass the test and help them reach their destiny, Sapphire Falls.

The Thursday Morning Read has been growing in popularity with more new faces appearing each week, it is on Thursday Morning at 8:20 am in the tiered Learning Space in the Library. All are welcome, students, siblings, parents, and grandparents, come along and listen to two fun stories before school.

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

1. Books are checked for their health, any that are damaged or defaced are usually recycled.
2. Books that are of good quality but not suitable for addition due to already existing in the collection, are not age appropriate or are too old are saved for donation to a community library.
3. Books that are of good quality and fulfil a niche within the collection are then accessioned and adde