Dear Parents,

Our NAIDOC Week activities have been exciting for our whole school this week. We have taken part in the NAIDOC March on Monday, more of our NAIDOC garden and yarning area have come to life with the totem poles being installed, and our Smoking Ceremony, story telling and Traditional Indigenous Games (TIG) have taken place today. Tomorrow, our Year 6 children take part in the Year 6 Interschool Sports Day which is a great way to finish the week. Thank you to our Aboriginal Education Committee (Mrs George, Mrs Cafe, Ms Puebla, Mrs Goninan and Ms Lloyd) for your work putting the week together. Thank you to the many parents who have supported us throughout the week at our various activities. 

We were excited to host the D’Arts School Spectacular Dance Rehearsal in the McMullen Hall on Monday. Children from Anson Street in Orange, Carenne SSP and Bathurst West PS joined with children from Bathurst Public School to rehearse the item that will be performed at the 2026 Schools Spectacular. We will host another rehearsal session for the group on Thursday 20th November.

Thank you to the Grandparents, Parents and Friends who joined us for Grandparents Day last Friday. It was a sensational day. Our classrooms were buzzing and our children were so excited and proud to show off their classrooms and work. Thank you to our Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3 Dance Troupes who also performed. Our dancers were phenomenal. Thank you to the many Grandparents and Families who donated a book to our Library on behalf of your family. What a beautiful legacy you have left for all of our children to enjoy. We had over 100 books donated which is going to make our Library even more exciting. The covering, accessioning and plaques in the books will take several weeks, but photos of the books once complete will be published. Thank you to Mrs McClements and Mrs Weekes for preparing and costuming our Dance Troupes. Thank you to Mrs Calder, Mr Summerson and Mrs Chaffey for their organisation and coordination of Grandparents Day. 

Next Friday 7th November, we will hold our Year 6 Mini Fete. Our Year 6 children are super busy putting the final touches on their stalls and have commenced selling tickets before school each morning. Tickets are 50c each. Most activities will be 50c or $1 to participate (1 or 2 tickets). All stalls are cashless, hence why children will need to buy tickets before or on the day to participate in activities. All tickets will be kept at school until the day of the mini fete so they are not lost. For any further information, please speak to your child’s classroom teacher.

The staff are commencing conversations about class structures for 2026 and will commence working on staffing and designing classes throughout the later part of the school term. Many hours of work go into creating structures, staffing and designing every class. The school recognises the importance of fostering and maintaining friendship groups. We also understand that it is equally important for students to mix and learn with peers with different interests. Some details to assist parents with the process we are going through and how they can be involved in preparation for 2026 are outlined below;

• Children are asked by their teacher around week 4/5 to nominate 3 children they would like to be in a class with; a minimum of 1 of the nominations is to be a child who is currently in another class. The school endeavours to ensure each child receives at least 1 of their nominated friends.
• Parents are invited to make requests based on the academic and emotional needs of their child. Requests for class placements must be in writing, outlining who you are requesting your child to be placed with and why. Requests must be addressed to the Principal, Mrs White. All requests need to be received by Friday, 14th November 2025. As you can understand, we are not always able to accommodate class placement requests but will endeavour to take wishes into consideration where possible.
• All teachers at Bathurst Public School are caring and committed educators. Bathurst Public strives to ensure that all children are provided with a high-quality education so they can 'Believe, Belong and Succeed'. Whilst we appreciate that you may wish that your child would benefit from being placed in a class with a particular teacher, we are unable to accommodate teacher requests. Our school's Leadership Team (Principal, Deputy Principal, Assistant Principals and Learning and Support Team) have an in-depth understanding of each teacher's strengths and will always endeavour to place our students with teachers who are best placed to suit their needs.
• If you know you will be moving in 2026 and your child/children will not be attending Bathurst Public School, would you please contact the office at school and let us know by Friday 14th November 2025, please. 

SCHOOL SWIMMING - PERMISSION AND PAYMENT DUE FRIDAY 7TH NOVEMBER 

Our 10 Day Term 4 Intensive Swimming Program will occur from Monday 24th November - Friday 5th December at the Manning Aquatic Centre. This program will be open to all children from Kindergarten to Year 6. The children will be taught by qualified Swimming Instructors employed by the Manning Aquatic Centre. Sessions will be 45 minutes long and will run for 10 days between 9.15am. and 2.00pm. Children will be accompanied to and from the pool by school staff. The cost will be $100.00 (Please note this is the reduced cost) for the 10-day program, including bus travel, facility entry, and professional instruction. This can be paid through our Sentral Parent Portal or at the front office via cash or EFTPOS. Active Kids and First Lap vouchers are not accepted this year. If you would like your child to attend, please answer the questions through the Sentral Parent Portal. Medical information is not provided or updated through the Portal. Please contact the front office with any medical updates. The final balance must be paid by Friday, 7th November. After this date, there will be no refunds. Parents will be informed of the details of their child's classes before the program commences. Parents are asked to contact the school and update their child's medical information closer to the start of the program if necessary. If parents have any further questions regarding this Intensive Swimming Program, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Mitchell, Miss Reedy or Mrs White.

If any parent has any concerns regarding any aspect of school life, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kate White

Principal