Dear community,

A Great Start to the Term at Arncliffe West

We are delighted to share that Kindergarten and Preschool students at Arncliffe West have settled well into their routines this term. There is lots of new learning happening every day, and we are proud to see the children engaging positively in group activities. They are developing important social skills while working and learning together as a team.

Celebrations

This week, we held our Easter Hat Parade with lots of creative and colourful hats on display. A big thank you to our parents who helped the children with making their hats. Your support is greatly appreciated. We also raised $450 from the egg guessing competition, which will go towards school programs.

Our recent Eid celebration was a huge success, with a great turnout of parents attending the open classrooms and helping children create their biscuits. The shared morning tea at both events is always a special time to connect and enjoy our school community together. These celebrations are very important to Arncliffe West, and they play a big role in building our strong community spirit.

Professional Learning and School Improvement

This term, our teachers undertook many professional learning opportunities related to our School Excellence Plan and initiatives aimed at improving student outcomes. As a staff, we explored explicit teaching strategies, with a focus on developing learning walls in classrooms. We look forward to sharing these with you in Term 2.

We also explored the new Creative Arts and PDHPE syllabus documents as we trial these programs, preparing for full implementation in 2027.

Several staff members joined special projects this term. One team member participated in an oral language project to support the development of Kindergarten students’ writing skills. Another staff member joined the “Music in Me” program and is now a mentor for other teachers within our school and in neighbouring schools.

Our executive team took part in a project focused on data-informed practices, learning how to better use data within the school to inform teaching and learning decisions.

Teachers had valuable time to collaborate with each other, share student data, and plan differentiated programs that meet the diverse needs of all students.

I also attended two principal conferences to further my leadership of our school. At one of these conferences, we were proud to have one of our very talented parents present to about 300 principals, sharing about poetry slam competitions for students.

Health and Wellbeing: Keeping Our School Healthy This Winter

With the colder months ahead, we all need to do our part to help keep the school clean and healthy and minimise the spread of illness. We strongly advocate regular handwashing at school and provide teachers with extra sanitising wipes to keep classrooms and learning spaces clean and fresh.

Please dress your child appropriately for the weather. If your child is showing flu symptoms, we ask that you keep them at home until they have fully recovered.

If your child has a continued cough or flu symptoms after an illness, please provide a doctor’s certificate stating they are fit to return to school and that any symptoms they have will pass.

We ask the community to understand that any communication from the school about sickness or symptoms is aimed at stopping the spread of illness. We rely on information from health professionals in written form to make decisions and ensure the safety of all students and staff.

Safety Reminder: Car Park Use

For the safety of all students, staff, and families, please remember these important car park rules:

Drive at 10km/h in the car park at all times.
Reverse park your car in all parking spots.
A maximum of three cars may park down the centre of the car park.
Please do not park other cars in or block access for others.
If the car park is full, you will need to park on the road.
Always hold your child’s hand at all times when walking through the car park.

Your cooperation helps keep everyone safe and ensures the car park is easy to access for everyone. Thank you for your ongoing support in making Arncliffe West a safe and welcoming place for all.

Enrolments Now Open for 2027

Arncliffe West is now accepting enrolments for 2027 for Preschool, Kindergarten, and Years 1–2. Local families can complete their enrolment online by visiting our school website: https://arncliffew-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/about-us/enrol.

We also welcome out-of-area enrolment applications, which can be considered based on our school’s enrolment availability.

Our Assistant Principals offer school tours every two weeks for any parents or community members who want to learn more about how Arncliffe West can support their child’s learning and wellbeing. Please encourage your family and friends to come and visit us and consider enrolling their child. We look forward to welcoming new families to our school community!

Holiday Wishes and Upcoming Events

We wish all families a safe and happy holiday period. School returns for students from Wednesday 22nd April.

On Friday 24th April, we will hold our ANZAC commemoration at school. After this, the long weekend begins with a public holiday on Monday 27th April.

Thank you for being part of our school community. We look forward to seeing you all you all after school holidays.

Kind regards,

Bryce Hageman

Possums