Dear parents, carers and community

It was wonderful to welcome back all of our students at the beginning of Term 4. It was great to see many smiling faces and see students settle into their classrooms so well, ready for a fabulous term of learning. Although it may feel as though the end of year is only around the corner, our teachers are still focused on the 8 weeks of learning and fun ahead of us.

Southern Illawarra Music Festival

I was delighted to sit amongst an audience of over 700 people to watch our school choir perform beautifully, alongside 6 other local public schools. Our students were engaging, entertaining and extremely well behaved. I couldn’t be prouder! Thank you to Ms Higgins and Mrs O’Hara for sharing their talent and for their dedication to working tirelessly with this group of students. Thank you also to all the parents who attended and supported this opportunity for your child.

School Bytes

Our school is transitioning to a new school finance system, called School Bytes. Many of you may already have experience with this if you have older children who attend Oak Flats High School. Although we are currently in a ‘lockout period’, while the magic happens behind the scenes, this new system will provide a simple way of making school payments, submitting digital permission notes, downloading receipts and viewing historical payments.

We appreciate your patience while our administration staff move to this new system and iron out any bumps along the way. Please ensure you keep up to date with changes – it will be worth it in the end!

P&C

Yet again, our P&C hosted a fabulous community fundraising event last Saturday at the Referendum BBQ. Thank you to the P&C members who organised, set up and ran the BBQ at school on Saturday. This was a huge success, for the benefit of our school and students. Thank you also to those who popped by to buy a sausage sizzle or cupcake.

Our next P&C meeting will be held on Wednesday, 1 November in the school library. We hope to see you there.

AECG – Thursday, 26 October @ 4pm

The next General Meeting for the AECG is next week Thursday 26 October, proudly hosted at our school. We invite all community to come along to the meeting. Our Aboriginal student leaders will be showcasing some of our school achievements in Aboriginal education.

World Teachers Day

Next Friday, 27 October NSW Public Schools celebrate World Teachers’ Day. This is a day to celebrate and recognise the contributions teachers around the world make to children, young people and our society. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the amazing teaching staff at Oak Flats Public School. Thank you to our staff for your commitment and care of our students and community, and the skill and expertise that goes into what you do every day in your classroom. I am proud to work with such talented and dedicated staff who go above and beyond to support our students.

For this year’s NESA theme ‘Our school community is full of gems’, students (and community) are encouraged to wear a tiara, some fancy fake gems or jewellery (not the real, expensive kind), a sparkly hat, or a little glitter. Our teachers are like diamonds – Tough, bright and one of a kind. Don’t forget to tell your child’s teacher why you think they shine brightly!

State Primary Principal’s Conference

Next week I will be attending the State Primary Principals’ Conference. This is an important opportunity for me to continue to develop my knowledge and skills and connect with and learn from other principals from across the state. While I am out of the school, Mrs Alice Wigny will be relieving.

Grandparents Day – Save the date!

Our school will be celebrating Grandparents Day, with family invited to join us on Friday, 10 November. On this day you will be invited to visit classrooms and stay for a book parade, where students are invited to dress as a character from one of their favourite books. More information will be shared in the coming weeks.

Planning for 2024

The time has come for our school to start considering planning for 2024. This requires a clear understanding of the number of anticipated students. If you and your family will be relocating and moving schools for 2024, please contact the office so it can be noted. It is important that we know this information as it directly impacts on the number of classes we have and therefore the number of staff required. In addition, if you have any concerns about your child’s class for 2024 (e.g. sibling within the same class, peer relationships), please put these in writing and email to the school - oakflats-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au. All requests cannot be guaranteed, however we will always attempt to consider your requests and appreciate any information provided to us, so we can support our students.

Smith Family Learning for Life Scholarships

Our school is fortunate to partner with The Smith Family, who offer a range of support and programs for families and students.

The Learning for Life program recognises that extra support for children experiencing disadvantage or hardship is crucial to keeping them engaged in their education. Once on the program, the family receives financial support each year the student is in school, right through high school. This money can be used for any school related expenses, such as school equipment, uniforms, excursion and fees.

For a child/family to qualify, the family needs to have a pension card or health care card from Centrelink and the student must also have positive school attendance.

If you feel you would benefit from applying for a scholarship, please contact the office or speak with your child’s teacher.

Toys, Hats and Uniforms

We have seen an influx of younger students bringing toys to school. This often causes concerns between friends and disappointment if toys are lost or broken. Our school provides resources for students to engage with at lunch time, as well as opportunities for students to use their imagination and simply engage with peers during play times.

There has also been an increase in students wearing hats other than the school bucket hat or cap. The school hat minimises lost/stolen hats and the desire to keep up with the latest trends.

Students are also reminded that bike pants/tights are not part of our school uniform. If your child requires a new uniform, orders can be placed through the front office. If your child is in Year 6 and has grown out of their uniform, please phone the office, we may be able to assist with a second-hand uniform.

We thank you and you support to uphold our school expectations.

K-2 Playground Equipment

You may have noticed we have upgraded our old playground, as well as installed a new sandpit. This area has not yet been opened to the students, as we wait for the grass to settle and softfall to cure. I know our students are eager to use this area. It won’t be long!

Electronic Gates for Assemblies

We ask all parents attending our assemblies to enter through the main gate on Griffiths Street. This will ensure safety of our students when they are using the playground equipment and sandpit, which is in such close proximity to the preschool gate. We apologise about the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.

Tell Them From Me – Parent Survey

Our school, like many other public schools in the state, will participate in a Department of Education initiative: the Tell Them From Me parent feedback survey. The parent survey helps to clarify and strengthen the important relationship between parents/carers and schools. We are always grateful to our parents for taking the time to complete this short survey. It assists the school to understand your perspective on your child’s school experience. It provides us with evidence of areas of strength and feedback for school improvement. This helps our school track achievement over time and plan for the future.

If we are able to receive results from each family, we will better identify trends, and this will further inform school priorities. If you have two or more children, you may complete the survey again based on each child and their school experience. The survey will take around 15 minutes to complete. Please click on the link to access the survey: http://nsw.tellthemfromme.com/2y5jh

Tell Them From Me – Student Survey

The survey measures factors that are known to affect academic achievement and other student outcomes. The focus of the NSW-wide survey is on student wellbeing, engagement and effective teaching practices. The survey is a great opportunity for our students to provide us with valuable and quick feedback on what they think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them. Capturing the voices of our students will help improve how we do things at our school.

I want to assure you that the survey is confidential. The survey is conducted online and will typically take less than 30 minutes to complete. It will be administered during school hours in the next couple of weeks.

Selective High School 2025

Applications are now open for parents wishing to apply for a Selective High School for Year 7 in 2025. Parents must apply online via the link at the Selective High Schools and Opportunity Classes – Application Process website. The online application form opened on 9 October 2023 and will close on Monday, 20 November 2023. Parents must apply by the due date. If you would like to speak to your child’s teacher about your child’s suitability, please feel free to make an appointment.

Kind regards

Jodi Niedermayer

SRC