Dear Parents,

After being on extended sick leave for just over 3 months, it is great to be back. It's been wonderful catching up with the children and staff this week. I have had many meetings which has demonstrated the great learning the children have been involved in and the improved learning outcomes. A very special thankyou to Mrs Cafe for relieving as Principal and Mrs Lee for relieving as Deputy Principal in my absence. They have both done a fantastic job.

Congratulations to our Choral Festival children, Mrs Cafe and Mrs Datt on their performance at the Opera House on Tuesday night. It is always a special and memorable evening and I know the children have been working hard on their repertoire. Congratulations to everyone involved.

The District Athletics Carnival to be held this Friday 16th August has been postponed due to the wet weather. The new date for the carnival will be next Friday 23rd August.  Next Wednesday 21st August, the 1500m and High Jump District Trials will take place. Please contact Mrs Burns for any further information.

Our P&C Meeting will be held next Wednesday 21st August commencing at 6.30pm in the staffroom at school. Mr Craig Luccarda, Denison College Principal, will be talking to parents about Denison College. Please join us to be part of this information session.

At a meeting with Mrs Chaffey earlier this week, she has highlighted the urgent need for volunteers in the canteen. Over the next few weeks, we are extremely short of volunteers. Unfortunately, if we do not get volunteers, the canteen will not be able to operate and will close. If you can volunteer some time on any Friday between 9.30am-2.00pm, please contact the office and leave a message for Mrs Chaffey to contact you.

Please don't forget to log onto the Sentral Parent Portal to book your Parent Teacher Meetings. These are a great opportunity to speak to your child's teacher about their progress and any issues or concerns you have about their learning. If you cannot log on to the Sentral Parent Portal, please contact the school office for support. A reminder about Parent Teacher dates;

• Thursday 29th August - KD Parent/Teacher Interviews
• Tuesday 3rd September - 1G, 1C, 2S and 2I Parent/Teacher Interviews
• Wednesday 4th September - KM, K/1K Parent/Teacher Interviews
• Thursday 5th September - 5/6A, 5/6B, 5/6L and 5/6T Parent/Teacher Interviews 
• Friday 6th September - 2/3F, 3/4S, 3/4W, 3/4B and 4/5D Parent/Teacher Interviews

A reminder that our annual Swimming Program note has been published through the Sentral Parent Portal. The dates of the Term 4 10 day Swimming Program for 2024 at the Bathurst Aquatic Centre are Monday 25th November - Friday 29th November and Monday 2nd December to Friday 6th December. The cost of the annual program is $130.00. Parents can give permission through the Sentral Parent Portal and make regular payments also on the Parent Portal. Final payments and notes will be due by Friday 1st November, 2024.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Bathurst Village Bakehouse for their generous support of the Breakfast and Lunch club at Bathurst PS. Village Bakehouse have agreed to donate 40 loaves of bread for every 40 loaves we purchase. Every Tuesday and Thursday we now purchase 40 loaves and get an additional 40 loaves donated on each day. Thankyou, Bathurst Village Bakehouse, for supporting the children at Bathurst PS.

We are already at the time of the year when we are starting to plan for the upcoming school year. To assist us in making these decisions, we would like to ensure that we are aware of any Kindergarten students who will be commencing school in 2025. If you have yet to enrol your kindergarten student or know of a family within our school zone who has yet to enrol their child, please come in and enrol as soon as possible. Also, if you plan on relocating from Bathurst, could you let us know so this can be included in our plans please.

We believe student learning, wellbeing and success are best when working together. Please do not hesitate to contact the school to discuss any concerns you may have.

Kate White

Principal