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The Dem
Newsletter
Week 2 - Friday 9 February 2018
The passing of our beloved Suzanne Smith It is with great sadness that I can inform you of the passing of Mrs Suzanne Smith.
Some of you have had children taught by Suzanne during her time as classroom
teacher from 2010 - 2016 and last year many of your children had Suzanne for their
library lessons. Suzanne was a dear friend to many teachers and could always be relied
upon to bring a smile to our faces especially on those tough days. She will be deeply
missed. Her battle with leukaemia was courageously fought over the past 3 years with
Suzanne remaining upbeat until the very end. In true Suzanne spirit her concern in her
final weeks was for those that she loved and cared about and not for herself.
A number of past and present staff will be travelling to Bellingen next Saturday 17
February for a memorial service.
Next week a Condolences book will be placed in the office foyer for any parents and
past students to sign or write a message in.
This book will then be given to the family. The
school is in communication with the family
regarding how else we may support them and
pay our respects at this sad time.
In lieu of flowers the family has suggested that
donations can be made to Medecins Sans
Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders
(www.msf.org.au) or a charity of your choice.
Thank you to those who have passed on their
condolences already.
We will miss our friend deeply.
Meet the teacher nights – Next week Next week the school will hold Meet the Teacher Nights between 6pm and 7pm on the
dates listed in the What’s On column. Prior to this evening it is important that you read
your child’s Grade Newsletter which will be uploaded today on the SchoolStream app
and the school website (https://edit.pws.det.nsw.edu.au/web/north-sydney-public-
school-staging/years). Please note that Meet the Teacher Night is an informal event
and is not intended to be an opportunity for you to discuss any specific child and their
needs. Such information is very important to us and therefore needs to be conveyed in
a 1:1 meeting between you and your child’s teacher. Your child’s teacher will have their
diary with them on the night and can make an appointment for you to meet at a more
convenient time.
What’s On in 2018?
Friday 9 February
* Flip Sport program starts
for Years 1 and 2
Monday 12 February
* Kindergarten Meet the
Teacher Evening
* Year One Meet the
Teacher Evening
* Year Two (2JT) Meet the
Teacher Evening
* Directions in Music Band
lessons commence
Tuesday 13 February
* Year Two (2JD, 2JW,
2MB, 2ML and 2SB) Meet
the Teacher Evening
* Year Three Meet the
Teacher Evening
Wednesday 14 February
* Intermediate Band
Rehearsals start – 7:45am
Thursday 15 February
* Senior Band Rehearsals
start – 7:45am
* Student Leadership
Induction Ceremony –
9:15am
* Year Four Meet the
Teacher Evening
* Year Five Meet the
Teacher Evening
* Year Six Meet the
Teacher Evening
Friday 16 February
* PSSA TeeBall starts
Wednesday 21 February
* Scripture and Ethics
programs commence
Thursday 22 February
* School swimming carnival
Student Leadership Induction Next Thursday (weather permitting) we will induct our 2018 Year 6 leaders and our Semester One SRC and Eco
Ambassadors. Invitations have been sent home to those students who will be receiving a badge. The ceremony
will occur in the Pacific Playground under the blue shade sail. In line with previous years, Kindergarten will not
attend this first Leadership Induction; however, we look forward to having them join us in Semester Two.
Congratulations to those students who have been elected by their peers to represent them.
Scripture Program Scripture and Ethics classes will commence on Wednesday 21 February. Your child will be placed in the scripture,
non-scripture or Ethics group nominated by you at the time of enrolment dependent on the availability of
scripture and Ethics teachers. In the event that a teacher is unavailable your child will attend non-scripture where
they will read, complete homework or engage in activities that revise already taught concepts. Students will not
be able to change scripture classes without a valid reason being provided by their parent. Unfortunately, due to
large student numbers, the sampling of multiple scripture classes throughout the year is not possible in 2018.
Swimming Carnival – Thursday 22 February A note for the school swimming carnival was sent home last week to all those children in Years 3 – 6 and any
children in Year 2 who are turning 8 this year. These notes were due to be returned to the school office by today,
Friday 9 February. A copy of the note can be found on the school website under ‘Notes and Forms’ or from the
front office.
Due to the layout of North Sydney Pool and the steepness of the grandstand steps, the school’s risk assessment
has determined that students observing from the grandstand will be required to remain seated throughout the
course of the carnival with the exception of when they are swimming in an event or taking toilet breaks.
Due to this restriction, and based on the experiences of past years, it has been determined that this is an
unrealistic and unfair expectation of non-swimmers and therefore the option of attending the carnival only as a
spectator is not available in 2018. All students in Years 3-6 who remain at school will be participating in a range of
sporting activities and sport related tasks.
As is specified in the permission note, children participating in the carnival must be able to swim 50 metres
unaided. If you have not seen your child swim 50 metres they probably can’t. Please ensure that you have
personally witnessed your child’s swimming ability prior to ticking the box that states they can swim 50 metres.
If your child is in Years 2-6 and is unable to swim 50 metres unaided please be aware that the school runs a swim
scheme program every year in Term 4 for non-swimmers in Years 2-6. The swim scheme program runs every
morning for 2 weeks and focuses on developing essential swimming and water survival skills.
ICAS – New Arrangements in 2018 In 2018 students in Years 2-6 will once again have the opportunity to participate in ICAS testing. ICAS is an
independent, skills-based assessment program. It is not compulsory and the results are not part of the North
Sydney Demonstration School assessment program. ICAS is run by the University of NSW. You can find out more
about ICAS via this link: https://www.eaa.unsw.edu.au/icas/about
In 2018 our school will be conducting each of the ICAS tests after school. We envisage the tests to be completed
by approximately 4:30pm on the specified afternoons with children being supervised by NSDS teachers. Please
refer to page 7 for more information about the dates of each test and details about how to register.
Food Allergies at the Dem We ask parents to be mindful when packing school lunches that there are a number of students at the Dem with
life threatening food allergies. The most common allergen is nuts followed by eggs, wheat and kiwi fruit. Please
do not bring nut based products to school or share food with other children. Students are also not allowed to
purchase food for their friends from the tuckshop.
Got It! Program The Northern Sydney Got It! program is run by NSW Health clinicians in partnership with NSW Department of
Education. Got It! is a school based early intervention program to support children’s emotional and social
development. Got It! will run two Parent Seminars for all parents of K-6 on ‘How to Support Children’s Social and
Emotional Development’. Dates: Thursday 1 & 15 March, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Parents of K-2 children are invited to complete a questionnaire which was sent home this week. This is
used to inform the target group component of the program.
The target group is a small group program running in Term 2. This group focuses on understanding big
feelings, self-regulation techniques, problem-solving skills and peer and social skills.
Got It! staff will be present to answer questions on the Meet the Teacher Evening and will also be running a stall
at ‘Stay and Play’ on Friday 16 February from 2:55 p.m.
Road Safety & Parking Keeping our children safe on the roads surrounding our school is a joint responsibility. Please obey all parking
signs and refrain from double parking and making 3 point turns on our narrow and congested streets. Please do
not allow your child to enter or alight from your car on the street side of the vehicle. The school car park cannot
be used for drop off or pick up and cannot be used as a pedestrian access point. Thank you for helping us to keep
your child safe.
Myra Wearne, Principal [email protected]
SCHOOL NEWS
Stewart House Bags Stewart House bags will be going home with the youngest child in each family next
week (starting Monday 12 February 2018). Please return the bags, filled with any
unwanted clothing, to the McHatton Open Area by Wednesday 28 February 2018.
Thanks for supporting this worthy cause. For more information regarding Stewart
House see: https://www.stewarthouse.org.au/
Statement of Account The Term 1 Statement of Accounts were emailed today (Friday 9 February 2018). If you have already made any payments, when paying online (via POP) please check what is still outstanding by calling the Office on 9955 2822. Please keep a note of payments made so that when excursion notes come home for your signature, you do not accidentally pay for items twice.
School Stream If you would like to see school stream alerts etc. on your computer instead of your
smart phone please go to: https://nsps.myschoolstream.net/?style=embed
If you would like to see school stream alerts etc. on your smart phone please go to the school website: http://www.nthsyddem-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/news/welcome-to-school-stream
School Opal Card If you have any questions regarding your child’s School Opal Card, or if you need to update any information, go online to: https://apps.transport.nsw.gov.au/ssts/updateDetails.
Band News School hired instruments are being in the process of being distributed, please email Melissa Lanigan: [email protected] regarding school instrument queries. Information regarding instrument tutorials and band rehearsals has been emailed to parents by Directions in Music, please call DIM on: 9662 2211.
NSDS String Ensemble - 2018 The NSDS String Ensemble will be beginning in Term 1 of 2018. If your child is interested in participating, please contact David Tocknell on 0403 931 843 or email [email protected]
Please remember to pack spare underwear All students in K-2 should have spare underwear and shorts in their school bag.
FABStar!
FABStar! is an initiative to recognise positive behaviours in the playground. A FABStar! slip was drawn from all the students who received FABstar! slips in recognition of their positive behaviour on the playground last week.
The K-2 Fabstar! for this week is Hannah from Year 1. She found some glasses near the Kindergarten Playground and handed them in to the teacher on duty.
Tuck Shop News
P&C News
Sign up to our mailing list to keep up to date with our social events
throughout the year and how we are supporting our school in 2018.
www.thedempc.com.au Everyone is welcome to our monthly meetings. Your enthusiasm and
input are key to the success of the Dem P&C. The first P&C meeting
will be on Wednesday the 21st February at 6.30pm in the library.
P&C News continued
Save the Date: P&C Annual General Meeting (AGM) on
Wednesday 14 March at 6:30pm in the school library.
P&C office bearer roles to be elected at the AGM:
1 x President: The President is responsible for the successful functioning of the P&C including chairing meetings, ensuring that the P&C properly takes part in decision-making processes in the school and acting as the P&C’s spokesperson at public events and with the school.
2 x Vice Presidents: The role of the Vice Presidents is to support the President and other committee members. It is a role that is ideally shared between two people. Duties include assisting with events being organised by sub-committees, taking on independent projects as required, attending the P&C and Executive meetings and taking minutes in the absence of the Secretary.
1 x Treasurer: The Treasurer receives and deposits monies, maintains records, draws cheques and presents accounts. The Treasurer also ensures that all funds held and handled by the P&C are properly and openly accounted for as the Treasurer is responsible for all funds held in the name of the P&C.
1x Secretary: The Secretary prepares, in consultation with the President, all meeting agendas, attends P&C meetings, manages correspondence, writes & distributes the Minutes of the meetings and maintains the official records of the P&C. . The P&C also has a number of sub-committees:
Tuck Shop: provides oversight of the Tuck Shop business. Ideally two people.
Uniform Shop: provides oversight of the Uniform Shop business. Ideally two people.
Compliance: ensures that the P&C is operating within the required legal and compliance framework.
Communication: ensures that the P&C is communicating effectively with the school community.
Environment: organises working bees to improve the school environment. This role also looks for opportunities to improve the school environment by managing grant applications that have been identified as appropriate for the school.
Events/ Fundraising: organises different events at the school including Harmony Fair, the Spellathon, the K-2 Disco and the End of Year Festival. Each event should have its own organising group for optimal outcomes.
We look forward to seeing you at the Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 14 March in the Dem Library at 6:30pm.
Please feel free to email [email protected] if you have any questions relating to the P&C and/or the AGM.
Dem Banking Please contact us via email if you wish to volunteer to help out with school banking on Thursdays. We are usually done by 10am. Young children can come along. Please email [email protected] with any queries.
Dem Community News Girls Under 10 Soccer Team seeking players; training Tuesday afternoon (starting end Feb) and games Sunday mornings (starting April). Please contact [email protected]
North Sydney Junior Netball Club Ages 7 to 12 years; at Willoughby; Friday night games starting in April 2018; Enquires to [email protected] or 0487 415 520
JAFFA - Friday afternoons from 3pm-4:45pm, for yrs 3-6 at St Thomas' Anglican Church. We learn about Jesus, have afternoon tea and play some games. Free! For more information visit: www.st-thomas.org.au/jaffa or contact: [email protected]
Afterschool Chinese Program T1 2018 at the Dem from 6 Feb to 3 April 2018. Email: [email protected] Website: www.datong.com.au
Leaves of change Children's yoga Kids yoga is fun, promotes emotional wellbeing and better sleep and also enhances physical health among other benefits. Free March classes! For more info see: facebook.com/leavesofchangechildrensyoga
World Education Program (WEP) is looking for volunteer host families for overseas students arriving in Australia in July 2018 see: wep.org.au
Twilight Food Fair at Civic Park Fridays from 5:30pm to 9:00pm until 2 March 2018, (not 22 & 29 Dec 17 nor 26 Jan 18). See: facebook.com/twilightfoodfair/
Connect with Your Neighbours Turn streets into communities. For more information contact Irene Opper at [email protected] or 0413 706 233 and see www.streetbystreet.org.au
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