International Day of Play – Thursday 11 June 2026

Every year, on 11 June, we celebrate the International Day of Play. This day shows how important playing is for children. Playing is not just fun – it helps children grow and learn.

This year, the theme is: “Protect play, protect childhood.”

All children have the right to play. Playing helps children be creative, strong, and make friends. It also helps them learn for life and stay happy.

On 11 June, try to play more with your children! Here are some activities you can do together without screens:

Nature walk: Go outside. Look at plants, animals, buildings, or clouds. Talk about what you see.
Home scavenger hunt: Hide some safe things around the house. Give clues to find them.
I spy: Play ‘I spy’ with colours (for example, “I spy something blue”). You can also use letters for more fun.
Hide and seek: Take turns hiding and counting. Decide where you can hide before you start.
Statues: Play music and dance. When the music stops, freeze like a statue. Then start the music again.
Board games: Play a board game you like with your family.
Guess the drawing: Write five things (animals, plants, or objects) on paper. Draw one and guess what it is. The person who guesses right draws next.
Reading club: Pick a book, poem, or article to read. Talk about what you liked and found interesting.

You don’t have to wait for 11 June — every day is a good day to play!

Return of Borrowed Clothes/Spare Clothes

Please ensure students have a spare change of clothes in their bags in case they have an accident. These clothes don’t have to be uniform. (an old pair of leggings or tracksuit pants for example).

If students borrow clothes from the office because they did not have spare clothes these must be returned. They are loan clothes.

We currently have a shortage of spare uniform clothes in sizes 6 and 8.

If you have any at home please consider donating to our office.

Staying Safe As a Pedestrian

We remind students and families to use pedestrian crossings. They are the safest way to cross the road. We have two turning circles that students can walk around to get to the other side of the road. Students should not be running across the road at either the East or West Turning Circle.

Road and Passenger Safety

Parents and carers play a vital role in keeping children safe on the road. A child who is properly secured in an approved child car seat is less likely to be killed or injured in a crash.

Children aged from four years old but under seven years old cannot travel in the front seat of a vehicle with two or more rows, unless all other back seats are occupied by children younger than seven years in an approved child restraint or booster seat.

Transport for NSW fact sheets

ICAS Online Assessments

Carlingford West Public School has registered for ICAS Online Assessments which will be held between 3 August and 28 August 2026. We have registered for English, Maths and Science.

The registrations are now open and will close on Monday, 27 July 2026.

What is ICAS? 

ICAS is an online academic competition that gives students the opportunity to challenge their higher order thinking and problem-solving skills.

Please note:

ICAS is available for students from Years 3-6 only.
Participation in ICAS Assessments is optional.
Students do not have to register for all assessments.
All assessments will be online.
Students will use their personal iPads.
Registrations and payment have to be made online.
There are no application forms to be filled on paper and the school will not be collecting payments.
School will not be collecting any direct orders if you miss the cut-off date of 27 July 2026.
ICAS Assessments will run during school hours and will be supervised by class teachers.
ICAS Assessments will be held on following dates. There will be no catch-up days.

Subject	Date	Week	Entry fee
English	Wednesday 12 Aug	Term 3, Week 3	$21.95
Science	Wednesday 19 Aug	Term 3, Week 4	$21.95
Mathematics	Wednesday 26 Aug	Term 3, Week 5	$21.95

How to register and make payments

Visit https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/parent-payment/DED938 (The website works better on Chrome)
Insert access code (if prompted): DED938
Enter your child’s details: First Name/Last Name/Date of Birth/Year level
If your child has an official name and an English preferred name, please write both names.
Choose the subjects: Add to the cart. Students do not have to sit all of the tests
Checkout
Add Billing information
Make payment

Please note, we cannot facilitate refunds or make alterations as all money is paid directly to ICAS Assessments.

Read the terms and conditions here: (https://www.icasassessments.com/icasa-terms-and-conditions/#icas-parents).

Privacy collection statement The following information is a privacy notification about how your child’s data is kept private and secure.ICAS Assessment is owned by Janison Solutions Pty Ltd (We, Us, Our).To deliver assessment products, Janison will require your child’s School to obtain your consent to provide Janison with certain personal information of students. Janison will collect, store, use, disclose and otherwise deal with such personal information in accordance with its privacy policy (below). We are aware of our responsibility to protect personal information related to children and students from being disclosed when we deliver an ICAS Assessments product. Unless you, as the child’s legal guardian consents, we will not:

collect any personal information or data of children other than the information we need for the successful completion of an assessment, test, or exam.
transfer any personal information we obtain from a child in the delivery of assessments and tests to any jurisdiction outside of Australia.
share any personal information relating to children with any third parties (except for those third parties necessary for us to carry out our Services or provide our Products e.g., medal engraving).
use any personal information or data relating to children for marketing purposes.

You can view our full privacy policy at https://www.janison.com/privacy-policy/.

We may retain personal information and data relevant to a child for their future purposes or for research purposes by Janison for the duration of the school life cycle of the child. However, if you or your child at any time wish to have their personal information or data removed from our systems, they or you may opt out by simply contacting our Privacy Officer at privacy@janison.com or by contacting icasassessments@janison.com.

Up to Date Contact Details

It is imperative that we are able to contact families. Please ensure that the school has up to date phone numbers, address and emergency contact details.

If you have changed your address, please complete the attached Change of Contact Information sheet and email to the school with all the relevant documents attached.

School Photos 2026

School photos for 2026 will take place on 6 different days, 5 days in Term 1 and 1 day in Term 3.

Students will be photographed in their class/activity groups and individually for portrait photos. Parents may also choose their child/ren to be photographed with their siblings who also attend the school.

Photos will be available for purchase in various packs.

Please take note of the dates for various photos.

WHEN

WHICH GROUP

WHAT TO WEAR

Day 6

Term 3

Week 6

Thursday 27 August

Group photo Day

Band/sport/choir etc

Sport: PSSA uniform

Other group photos: Winter uniform

How to order:

Photos can be ordered online on www.theschoolphotographer.com.au using the code G8ZXW3KA.

Please note that orders are ONLINE ONLY. The school will not be accepting cash.

School Uniform - reminder

Carlingford West Public School uniform is always ankle socks. Boys school uniform is grey ankle socks and white socks with their sport uniform. Girls are white ankle for both uniforms.

Students are beginning to wear knee high socks – these are not part of our uniform. Black socks are also not part of our school uniform.

‘Out of uniform’ emails are being sent home to parents when students are in the incorrect uniform.

School hats need to be worn every day.

Returning to School After Injury

When students return to school after an injury the school requires the following:

A medical clearance letter
A meeting with the school

Injuries may include broken limbs, concussions, abrasions, medical episodes, time in hospital, etc. If unsure please email the school office.

These requirements ensure that arrangements can be in place to safely support the student.

Carpet allergies

We have noticed many students letting teachers know they have an allergy to carpet. Unfortunately, for many of these students we do not have a record of this allergy or a health care plan. We want to ensure the health and safety of all our students.

If your child has an allergy to carpet, it is essential that we have a current health care plan on file. This plan will help us take the necessary precautions to manage their allergy effectively.

Please contact the school office if your child has this allergy and we will guide you through the process of creating a health care plan. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated in helping us maintain a safe environment for all students.

School Uniform

Please remind your child/ren to always wear their school uniform. We are noticing some many varied and colourful items being worn to school that are not part of our official school uniform.

Many students are not wearing their hats – we are a ‘sun safe school’ and we should be protecting our heads and faces from the sun by wearing the school hat.

Carlingford West Public School Beanies are allowed but hats still need to be worn at all times in the playground and outside.

Gate Entry

Please note that both Felton Road pedestrian gates are open from 7 am to 9.40 am, then 3.10 pm to 6.15 pm in the afternoon Monday to Friday.

Before and After School Care (TASK) entry is through Hilar Ave. This gate is open from 6.45 am to 9.40 am in the morning and from 3.10 pm until 6.15 pm in the afternoon Monday to Friday.

Please do not enter our primary school through the vehicle access at Cumberland High School.

Rubbish Concerns

Unfortunately, we have had concerns raised by our neighbours regarding the rubbish accumulating outside the school gates in Hilar Avenue and Felton Road and along the road.

Could you please consider our neighbours and our environment and take care not to drop used face masks, sandwich bags, paper wrappers, empty packets etc. outside the school gates where they attract pests and pollute waterways when they wash into the stormwater drains. Please take your rubbish home and dispose of it responsibly. Thank you.

Use parental controls on your child’s iPhone or iPad

With Screen Time, you can turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions to manage content, apps and settings on your child’s device. You can also restrict explicit content, purchases and downloads, and changes to privacy settings.

Apple’s parental controls are important tools that allow parents to choose how — and how often — their children can use their devices. Parental controls are built right into each iPhone, iPad and Mac.

https://support.apple.com/en-au/105121#:~:text=Follow%20these%20steps%3A-,Go%20to%20Settings%20and%20tap%20Screen%20Time.,Adult%20Websites%20or%20Allowed%20Websites

Medical Needs

Please ensure the school is aware of any medical needs your child may have. It is the responsibility of parents/carers to provide updated Health Care Plans, Action Plans and medications to the school. Students are not permitted to carry medication in their own bags. If your child requires medication at any point during the school day, it must be kept in the office and administered under supervision.

Thank you to parents/carers who have already replied and visited the office with an updated Health Care Plan, Action Plan and medication this year. Action Plans are medical documents completed and signed by the treating doctor, not a parent. Please be advised that Action Plans do not expire, and therefore the plan is still valid beyond the recommended review date, which is a guide for patients to see their doctor.

However, the school strongly recommends that parents/carers visit the doctor to ensure their child/ren's health condition is up to date.

When you get an Action Plan from your doctor, be sure to get a coloured one. Please look at the latest version of Action Plans as your reference.

Use of Digital Devices

We recognise that families may need students to carry a mobile device before or after school for various reasons. If students have a mobile device they need to complete the 'Use of Digital Devices Agreement'. Please see attached form and sign and return to your child's class teacher.

Mobile devices need to be switched off once the students are on the school grounds. The school office remains the appropriate point of contact should you need to communicate a message to your children.

Children who wear SMART watches must have them disconnected to Wifi during the day. They are not permitted to phone or message parents during the day. If they wear them to walk to and from school, they must disconnect them as soon as they enter the school.

Please refer to the ‘Use of Digital Devices’ if you would like further information.

Turning Circle Drop Off

We have an increasing number of students being dropped in the Turning Circle after the bell. Please allow extra time in the morning for drop off as there is high traffic. Please follow the usual Turning Circle procedures during morning drop off.

Students are to get out of vehicles on the curb side.
There is to be no overtaking.
Stop at the next available stopping bay.
If the gate is closed. Drop off will need to be outside the gate.

School times and supervision

School supervision commences at 8:55am each day. Students should not be at school before this time unless they are enrolled into TASK.

Please see TASK News section in this Newsletter for contact and booking information.

If you need to leave for work before 8:55am please book your child into TASK.

School finishes at 3:25pm and you need to collect your child/ren then or have them booked into TASK.

Before and After School Care (OSHC - TASK) Pick up and Drop Off

Please remember that the turning circle is not to be used for OSHC pick up or drop off. Parents have been blocking the carpark exit and entry which makes it extremely difficult for staff to leave or arrive.

When using the turning circle you are not permitted to leave your vehicle.

Pick up and drop off for OSHC is Hilar Avenue.

Late Arrivals

This is a reminder that school learning begins at 9.25 am sharp. The new curriculum has a robust morning session of English requirements. We still have too many students who are regularly late to school in the morning. If students are late, they are missing valuable learning time. Please ensure students are at school on time. This may mean that family routines have to change, and children need to be in bed earlier at night in order to wake up earlier in the morning. Frequent, unexplained late arrival at school is recorded on our absence system.

Please find attached an Australian government website about the importance of family routines.

Routines for families: how & why they work | Raising Children Network

Videoing or Photographing on School Grounds

We are also reminding parents that we are not able to video or photograph students on our school grounds. This is because other students may be inadvertently in the photo or video and permission has not been obtained from their parents.

Thank you as always for assisting us to help our students learn optimally and safely.

Kathryn Pessotto Relieving Deputy Principal (K - 2)

Sonia Durney Deputy Principal (Yrs 3 - 5)

Dianne Bower Deputy Principal (Yrs 6 & Admin)

Yvette Ek-Moller Network EAL/D Education Leader

ARCO News

World Environment Day