Relieving Principal's Message
Dear Parents, Carers, Students, and Staff,
I would like to inform parents and carers that I will be continuing in the role of Relieving Principal at Carlingford West Public School until the end of Term 1.
I am committed to supporting our students, staff, and school community throughout this period and ensuring a smooth continuation of our programs and activities. Thank you for your ongoing support, and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. I look forward to working together during this time to foster a positive and engaging learning environment for all students.
NAPLAN
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual national assessment for all students in Years 3 & 5. It has been an everyday part of the school calendar since 2008. NAPLAN tests the sorts of skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life, such as reading, writing, spelling and numeracy.
NAPLAN will take place this week from Wednesday 11 March to Monday 23 March 2026.
Students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 who are enrolled at a school are expected to participate in 4 NAPLAN tests:
writing
reading
conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation)
numeracy.
All schools in NSW complete NAPLAN online. However, Year 3 students do the writing test on paper. Teachers will ensure students are familiar with the format of the tests before the NAPLAN test window.
Supporting your child
NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills your child is already learning at school. It is important to remember that NAPLAN is not about passing or failing. It is about assessing learning progress.
The best approach for preparing your child for NAPLAN is to encourage your child to do the best they can on the day. Excessive preparation or the use of coaching providers is not recommended. If you have any questions about NAPLAN, please contact your child’s teacher in the first instance.
Children should be reassured that the tests are just one snapshot of their progress and certainly nothing to feel anxious about. It is better if they can complete all tests with their classmates rather than as a catch-up test at a later time.
Movement Flows at morning and afternoon bell
We are currently reviewing and improving student movement flows within the school, particularly around the 9:25am and 3:25pm bell times.
With nearly 1500 students moving towards classrooms simultaneously, it is important that we establish safe and efficient procedures using our existing pathways.
To support this, we have plans to construct a new concrete path between the new and established buildings, which will help ease movement around the school. While the exact timing for this path to be laid is yet to be confirmed, we are committed to keeping the school community informed of any developments.
Our priority is ensuring all students can move safely and smoothly around the school at these busy times.
Community Charter reminder
Parents and carers play an important role in the school community. The School Community Charter informs parents and carers on how to engage with NSW public schools.
Read the School Community Charter (PDF 1.4 MB) to ensure you understand how important it is to create a positive learning environment for our students.
We would like to remind all parents and carers that a safe and respectful school environment extends to our interactions with one another.
It is not appropriate to approach another parent to threaten, harass, or intimidate them. We also remind all parents and carers that they should not approach another person's child to discuss any issues between students; instead, please bring any concerns to the attention of the child's teacher so they can be addressed appropriately.
We ask that all members of our school community always conduct themselves kindly and respectfully, setting a positive example for our students.
If you have concerns or conflicts, please speak with school staff who can help resolve matters in a constructive and appropriate manner. Thank you for helping us maintain a welcoming and safe environment for everyone.
2026 CWPS Community Snapshot survey.
We are inviting all parents and carers to please participate in our 2026 Community Snapshot survey. This survey is an important tool that helps us gain a deeper understanding of the needs, priorities, and experiences of our school community.
We sincerely thank the 61 parents and carers who have already completed the survey. With nearly 1500 students enrolled at our school, we hope to hear from many more families. Your insights are crucial in shaping our school’s future, as the information collected will assist us in planning programs, making improvements to facilities, and enhancing the support we provide to all students.
The survey should only take 5-10 minutes to complete.
There are 34 multiple choice questions and 3 open-ended questions.
Areas the school would like feedback on include:
- school culture,
- communication and responsiveness,
- family engagement,
- leadership,
- learning and academic support,
- facilities and resources,
- wellbeing and
- behaviour support.
The 2026 CWPS Community Snapshot survey will be open from today and will close in 2 weeks on Tuesday 17 March at 3:25pm.
We strongly encourage all parents and carers who haven’t yet participated to get involved, so that your experiences and suggestions can help guide our decisions moving forward.
Your voice matters and plays an essential role in ensuring our school continues to provide a safe, supportive, and engaging environment for every student. Thank you for your ongoing support and involvement in the life of our school community.
The link to complete the community snapshot survey can be found here.
Events on Carlingford West Public School website
We are pleased to inform parents and carers that additional school and community events have been added to our school website. These include details of upcoming excursions as well as the dates for our Presentation Day and Special Assembly, scheduled towards the end of the year.
We encourage all families to regularly visit the Events page on the website to stay up to date, as more events will continue to be added throughout the year. Keeping informed will help you better support your child’s involvement in school activities and celebrations. Thank you for staying connected with our school community.
A link to the CWPS Events page can be found here.
Lee Shipley,
Relieving Principal.
Road Safety - Safety around schools
Respecting Our Neighbours in School and at Home
We kindly remind all students to be respectful of neighbours both when travelling to and from school and in their own local communities. This means keeping noise levels down, disposing of litter responsibly, and being considerate of others' property and privacy.
Showing kindness and respect helps build positive relationships and a safe, welcoming environment for everyone.
Let’s all do our part to support a caring community wherever we live!
Changes to School App
We have closed our existing App account with ENews and have moved to the School Bytes Parent App to send time critical notifications.
Please download the School Bytes App and turn on notifications to receive our alerts and important time critical information. The attached document contains instructions and links to download the app to apple or android phones. If you would like instructions for changing the notification settings on your iPhone / Google or Samsung phone please click on the link below.
The changes will not affect how we communicate with you about excursions, permission notes, school accounts, attendance or reports. These functions are already managed within School Bytes.
The school newsletter will be sent as a notification via the School Bytes Parent App on a Tuesday.
School Uniform
Please remind your child/ren to always wear their school uniform. We are noticing some many varied and colourful items being worn to school that are not part of our official school uniform.
Many students are not wearing their hats – we are a ‘sun safe school’ and we should be protecting our heads and faces from the sun by wearing the school hat.
Children without school hats will be asked to keep sun safe and play in the shade.
Black socks and long knee high socks are not part of our school uniform.
School Tours
Prospective enrolments can email our school office at carlingfow-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au and attention the email to Mrs Adams, our Enrolment Officer who will arrange a school tour.
School Absence and Notifications
Thank you to our families who are using School Bytes to notify the school of absence and upload medical certificates. If your child is marked absent on our roll at school and there is no notification you will be sent a notification through the App.
If we have not received absence notifications for 3 school days classroom teachers will attempt to phone and email parents.
If families need to apply for extended leave (over 5 days) please either; email the school with the child's name and class or create a planned absence through School Bytes and a link to the "Application for Extended Leave Form" will be emailed via the School Bytes Parent Portal.
Safety Information
Turning Circle
If using our Turning Circle, please review these procedures. These procedures are to keep everyone safe.
Students
- Wait behind the yellow line.
- Stand quietly facing the microphone.
- No devices, no food, no sports equipment.
- Listen for name and car bay.
- Wait until the car has fully stopped.
- Move sensibly to car.
- Get in on the curb side.
- Students who can not follow these rules and keep safe will not be able to use turning circle.
Parents/Drivers
- Wait in car line.
- Enter the gate at a slow speed.
- Have student name displayed clearly- (large, black font). Names need to be visible for staff standing behind barriers.
- Follow instructions from School Executive.
- Stay in the vehicle.
- Do not overtake.
- Allow extra time and drive cautiously in wet weather.
- Turning Circle is only for Carlingford West Public School students pick up due to congestion.
Pedestrian Safety
May I please ask that you ensure you drop off your child safely and park appropriately. If you are walking, please use the footpaths rather than walking on or across the road dangerously. It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure our students are safe.
School Pick Up
The school day concludes at 3:25 pm. Parents are expected to collect their children promptly at this time from their prearranged pick-up point or the turning circle (Years 1-6).
Students using the turning circle must be collected no later than 3:50 pm. Any students not collected by 3:50 pm will be taken to OSHC, and a fee will be charged by OSHC.
If there is an unexpected circumstance or emergency and you are unable to pick up your child, you need to contact the OSHC number (1300 009 679) before 2:30pm to arrange a casual enrolment and advise the school office.
We understand that occasionally families will experience emergencies. Please ensure family contacts including emergency contacts are up to date on our records.
It is unacceptable to expect that children are supervised without notice past 3:25 pm.
Instructions for Using the Turning Circle
· Join the queue along Felton Road and do not jump the queue.
· Vehicles will be directed into Turning Circle by staff when they open the gate. Do not double park or push into the line.
· All vehicles should have your child's name prominently displayed.
· Enter the Turning Circle at a slow speed and stop behind the vehicle in front at the next available bay.
· Passing and overtaking vehicles is prohibited in the Turning Circle. Drivers must follow the line of traffic.
· Drivers must always remain seated in their vehicle. Vehicles must remain stationary in park while children exit and enter.
· Ensure students exit and enter the vehicle on the footpath side. Students are not permitted to walk in front or behind vehicles to enter on the other side, if baby seats are installed on the left-hand vehicle side.
· When all passengers are safely in or out of the vehicle, drivers should follow the vehicle in front and exit the Turning Circle at a slow speed.
· Vehicles will not be able to pull over and wait for children who are late to Turning Circle. Vehicles will need to exit and re-join the queue as directed by staff.
· Turning Circle is not a parking or waiting zone at any time.
· Before and After School vehicle pick up and drop off is in Hilar Ave.
· Video surveillance is installed for the safety and security of students and staff. Police and Council rangers regularly patrol the school zone and the Turning Circle.
Allergy Awareness
A reminder to our parent community that we have a number of students at our school with severe or life-threatening allergies to foods such as peanuts, tree nuts and nut products such as Nutella. To help minimise the risk of allergic reactions at school we encourage families preparing food for school lunches to be allergy aware.
How can we help keep each other safe?
By not bringing common allergen foods to school, for example: Peanuts, Tree Nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews) or Nut spreads such as Nutella.
Clearly labelling your child’s lunch box with their name.
Reminding your children NOT to share food at lunch or recess.