Principal Chat

Dear Families,

TERM 4 of 2026 are you kidding me? Time to get cracking I guess as we head into the end of 2026! Let's make it a solid effort with lots of fun, learning, patience and kindness all mixed in together!

During the holidays, a very exciting email came through informing us that Niangala Public School won the Judges' Choice award for the Dreamworld Scarecrow Competition 2026!

Congratulations to all involved, staff and students, but a very big thank you must go to Mr Makeham who built the frame for the scarecrow so that we had something to work with! I believe he sacrificed a whole weekend building the solid structural frame masterpiece, so a big thank you Mr Makeham. Much appreciated.

 This is the feedback that the judges gave.

Our judges absolutely loved your scarecrow bug hotel. Turning a scarecrow into a home for insects that, in turn, feeds the native birds your students have been studying, like the Silvereye and Superb Fairywren, was such a clever and thoughtful take on this year's 'Nature Guardians' theme. We loved the detail too: the repurposed hardwood frame built to stand up to the New England Tablelands winters, and every space woven with recycled and natural materials to create a five-star hotel "fit for the Queen Bee herself." It's a beautiful example of protecting habitat and caring for Dunghutti Country, and a huge achievement for a small school with a big environmental heart.

We were awarded $2500 for our efforts and of course we have a permanent award winning scarecrow welcoming everyone to our awesome school. He is located in our garden just outside the BER building. Make sure you check him out!

Whilst on the topic of winners! A big thank you to the few dedicated parents who came along to help us tackle some important jobs around the school at our recent Working Bee last term. With your support, we were able to clean out the garage storage, move the compost bins, shift trellises, and put up boards to help prevent rocks making their way onto the tennis court. We also fixed up the sundial and had a discussion brainstorming ways to better utilise our water resources for the vegetable garden.

Your help was incredibly valuable and made it possible for us to complete these larger tasks in a practical and achievable time frame. We truly appreciate your time, effort, and commitment to making our school a better place.

Looking forward to a happy and healthy Term 4 ahead.

Hannah Crawford

Principal

Niangala Public School