Parents & Friends Association

Thank you to our committee

Thank you to our wonderful P&F committee members in 2024. This positive and dynamic group of parents and carers worked hard throughout the year to support our school and community. 

They are:

Executive

President | Pip Smith (pandfpresident@kws.nsw.edu.au)

Vice Presidents | Leanne Lett & Jo Balcomb

Secretary |  Kath Barnett  (pandfsecretary@kws.nsw.edu.au)

Treasurer | Sarah Rourke  (pandftreasurer@kws.nsw.edu.au)

Junior School Representative | Kate Strahorn

Asst. Junior School Representative | Anna Elder

Senior School Representative | Alison Bennett 

Asst. Senior School Representative | Angie Lawrie

Boarding Representative | Caroline Ivey

Asst. Boarding Representative | Christine Fraser

Year Group Representatives

Pre Kinder – Sam Burns and Hannah Millwood-Johnston

Kindergarten – Katie Nanayakkara and Dana Oldroyd

Year 1 - James Hinton

Year 2 - Anna Elder and Karen Canning

Year 3 - Jacqueline Russell and Lindsey Stewart

Year4 - Kate Strahorn and Josh Gordon

Year 5 - Sarah Rourke and Kirsty Chambers

Year 6 - Leanne Lett and Jo Balcomb

Year 7 - Angie Lawrie and Kellie Turnbull

Year 8 - Leiarna Dunworth and Nikki Jardine

Year 9 - Angus Shannon

Year 10 - Pip Smith

Year 11 - Rachel Goodsir and Lisa Pengilly

Year 12 - Chrissie Baldwinson

Our Welcome Morning Tea, Icebreaker Events, Barn Dance, World Teachers’ Day and the many year group social events were instrumental in building our strong and connected community. 

A huge thank you to all of our parents and carers for your amazing support of our initiatives in 2024. You are amazing!

We bid farewell to a some of our 2023 representatives, including Katie Nanayakkara, Sam Burns and Hannah Millwood-Johnston, and thank them for volunteering their time.

We would like to extend a very warm welcome to our new recruits for 2024 - We’re excited to have you on the team!

We will continue to finalise our Year Group Representatives over the break and will share the full 2024 list with you early in the new year. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you would like to get more involved.

End of Year Festivities

It is a real joy to see how often our families make time to connect with each other. The end of year has provided yet another opportunity for us to connect before we head off to holidays.

Year 3 Christmas Picnic at Lake Canobolas

We had a great turnout on a sunny Saturday afternoon for this now annual Christmas tradition. The highlight of the day was an epic boys v girls clash in the lake, no doubt fuelled by the candy cane jellybeans dropped off by Santa, who manages to find the kids before Christmas each year. We are looking forward to next year already.

Year 6 Parent Graduation Drinks 

While the kids were at the Year 6 Farewell, parents gathered to celebrate together. All the parents had a great night!

Year 5 End of Year Dinner

Year 5 parents enjoyed a well attended end of year dinner at the Parkview on 28 November. Thank you to Leanne Lett for arranging this event.

Kindy at Philip Shaw

Kindy had a lovely afternoon at Phillip Shaw. It was a little wet but the kids enjoyed splashing in the puddles while the parents enjoyed drinks and a lovely grazing board.

2024 Commencement Events

Welcome Morning Tea 2024 - Tuesday 30 January 2024

On the first day of Term 1 in 2024 we warmly invite all parents to join us on site at the school for a welcome morning tea. This will commence straight after school drop off, from 8.30am. All parents are very welcome to come along for a free coffee to calm your jangling first day nerves!

Look for us (and the coffee van) at the top of the main oval. It will be our first official get-together for the year.

Icebreaker Events 2024

The Principal and the P&F Association warmly invite all parents to come along to our celebration events for the commencement of the 2024 academic year. Put these dates in your diary - booking links can be found on the website as well as the 'Events' page in this newsletter.

Senior Icebreaker

6.30pm – 9.30pm Friday 16 February

Banksia Events

4929 Mitchell Highway, Orange

Junior Icebreaker

6.30pm – 9.30pm Friday 23 February

The Green House of Orange

231-243 Anson Street, Orange

All the fun of the fair

Kinross Wolaroi School Country Fair

Your P&F Year Group Representatives are in charge of mustering up volunteers and donations to support your year group stall at the fair on 2 March. Please do what you can to assist them in this quite big task! 

What can you give?

Book donations - including kid’s books and novels. 

White Elephant – good quality used items in working order such as: children’s games and toys (NO soft toys), sporting equipment (tennis racquets, cricket bats and pads, etc.), homewares. Please NO large furniture, electrical items, bicycles or used bed linen.

 Jams, pickles, preserves & crafts – your best country recipes and creations. 

Jar Stall – fill them with fun items like lollies (wrapped only), small collectible toys or cards, crayons, stickers, socks, bath bombs, makeup, vouchers. 

Chocolate Wheel – NEW goods such as gourmet foods, wines, homewares, electrical items, gift vouchers, meat platters, hampers, giftware. 

Raffle – inspirational experiences and valuable goods. 

Plant Stall – not need until Term 1 but please start potting up. 

Cake Stall – every school family will be encouraged to collect a cake box and fill it with baked goods in time for fair day.

Dropping off your donations

Drop of donations at the school’s cottage on 95 Bathurst Road which will be open:

• each Thursday and Friday morning from 8:00am - 8:45am until 22 December, and then from 11 January until 23 February
• From 8:00am until 2:30pm on Friday 7 December and Monday 29 January for boarding families.

Access is at the rear of 95 Bathurst Road (right opposite McDonalds) and entry is via the driveway to the right of 95 Bathurst Road (alongside the property next door, known as ‘Kinross Mews’).

Meetings in 2024 – Save the Dates!

Put these dates in your diary for our 2024 meetings and don’t forget that you can always attend online. We’ll have Zoom links available for you on the website from Term 1, 2024. Just go to: https://www.kws.nsw.edu.au/community/parents-and-friends-association and click to register.

Term 1

Week 3 - Wednesday 14 February 6:00pm

Week 7 - Wednesday 13 March 6:00pm - ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Term 2

Week 3 - Wednesday 15 May 6:00pm

Week 7 - Wednesday 12 June 6:00pm

Term 3

Week 3 - Wednesday 7 August 6:00pm

Week 7 - Wednesday 4 September 6:00pm - EXECUTIVE MEETING

Term 4

Week 3 - Wednesday 30 October 6:00pm

Week 7 - Wednesday 27 November 6:00pm

Wishing all of our families a very happy holiday season!

Pip Smith

President – Kinross Wolaroi School Parents & Friends Association