Newsletter Term 3 Week 8

As we near the end of Term 3, there is so much to celebrate and feel joyful about at GEPS!

Kindergarten Excursion

Kindy have been learning all about farm animals this term and have been writing stories about animals, creating farmyards and building animal homes. They also enjoyed an excursion to the farm, with the chance to see, hear, touch and smell a real farm. The children were able to pet animals like goats, sheep and a rabbit- and even to milk a cow. That was certainly one of the highlights of the day! They returned from their big day very happy- and very tired! Congratulations to our youngest students and their teachers for such a wonderful day.

Father’s Day Stall

A big thank you to our P&C volunteers for running the Father’s Day stall for our students. We hope all of our fathers and grandfathers had a lovely time on their special day.

Jersey Day

Our SRC organised a fantastic jersey day to raise money to buy sports equipment for our school. Thanks to the SRC members- and to all our students and families who made a donation.

Year 6: First Foot Forward

Year 6 students visited the University of Western Sydney to learn more about life as a uni student. They toured University facilities, spoke with current students, and were exposed to the buzz and excitement of campus life while engaging in educational workshops to showcase the range of subjects, interests and careers higher education can lead to.

Stage 2 CTC Expo

Did you know that not getting enough sleep can mean that you experience pain at a more intense level? Or that sharks sleep with their eyes open? These are just two of the facts I learned from our Stage 2 students at their CTC expo this week. I was so impressed with the knowledge our students had learnt through their investigations about sleep. Well done to our Stage 2 students and thank you to all the families who came along to learn with me!

Gimbawali: Festival of the Stars

Our choir and our Koori Club dancers have been very busy rehearsing and getting ready to perform at the Opera House on Monday 22 September. We are very proud of our students as they get ready for his special event.

School Bytes is Live

I hope you have been able to install the School Bytes app on your phone and have connected to the school and linked to your child. You MUST be able to access School Bytes to provide permission and pay for excursions, but it can also do much more! Some of the features include:

· A languages feature means you can access a translation of permission notes

· The parent calendar tells you about what is happening at school

· View upcoming payments, make payments, provide permissions

· An SMS is sent to you if your child is absent from school- click on the link to let us know the reason for the absence

Please see the app info ration in this newsletter, and if you are having any trouble accessing School Bytes, please come to the school office and we can help you!

Online Safety:

Many parents are unsure about how to help their child be safe online. The eSafety Commissioner has a series of webinars to help parents navigate these important issues. You can use these links to register:

· The changing face of cyberbullying: protecting your child in 2025

· Understanding and using parental controls to help protect your child online

You can even watch videos in different languages to help you learn more:

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/resources/online-safety-for-every-family

Free fun with the Parliament of NSW