Dear Parents

The 2021 school year has come to an end. What an amazingly successful year we have had, even with the many disruptions! Our planning for 2022 is well underway.

On Monday we held our Presentation Day assemblies, which were done in six seperate groups to ensure we maintained the strict COVID guidelines that we adhere to. Congratulations to all the children and the manner in which you presented yourselves. You were outstanding. Congratulations to our award recipients. A list of award recipients is below. A special thankyou to Mrs Chaffey for her coordination of Presentation Day - it was an excellent day. Thankyou also to Mr Datt and Mrs Cafe for their work behind the scenes.

On Wednesday night we held our Year 6 Farewell, and what a nice night it was for the children and staff. The children were so beautifully presented – it is hard to believe these children are finishing Primary School and are ready to move onto High School – where have the years gone! A big thank you to all of our Year 6 parents for their wonderful support of our school and taking the time to make last night such a special event for our children. Thank you to the many parents who decorated the room at Panthers for our celebrations last night. It made the night extra special.

Our year 6 students finished off their final day of primary school with the Farewell tunnel - a lovely celebration of their time at Bathurst Public School.

Don’t forget the following important events still to occur before the end of the 2021 school year;

Friday 17th December – School Office closes at 3.00pm for 2021

Attached to this Newsletter is a guide for parents as to what children will require in terms of equipment to start the 2022 school year successfully. This list does not contain books as children will receive all the books they need at the commencement of the new school year. Please contact the school if there are any queries.

In the notes page of this Newsletter is important information about School Photos to be taken in 2022. Advanced Life Photography has sent us the link so parents can look at package types and costs and have a longer time to pay online over the vacation period for school photos in 2022. Please contact the school if you have any queries.

Some important dates for the commencement of 2022 are:

Friday 28th January 2022 – School resumes for all staff. All staff will be involved in Professional Learning. School office opens at 8.00am
Monday 31st January 2022 – School resumes for all staff. All staff will be involved in Professional Learning. School office opens at 8.00am
Tuesday 1st February 2022 - Children in Years 1- 6 return
Wednesday 2nd February 2022 – Captains Induction Ceremony
Friday 4th February 2022 - Kinder children commence
Friday 4th February 2022 – School Swimming Carnival at the Bathurst Aquatic Centre (note attached to this newsletter)
Friday 25th February 2022 - District Swimming Carnival at the Bathurst Aquatic Centre
Tuesday 1st March 2022 - School Photos
Friday 11th March 2022 - Western Swimming Carnival in Dubbo
Thursday 8th April 2022 - Easter Hat Parade
Thursday 8th April 2022 - Last Day Term 1 2022

Who could ever have thought in their wildest dreams that 2021 would continue to throw the obstacles it has at us….. from the mouse plague, to floods, the COVID-19 pandemic and again floods. 2021 has definitely been challenging for us all. But we have changed our operation and the way we go about our business in regards to teaching and learning and continued to move forward.

In 2021, we have actually learnt a lot more about ourselves. With the adversity again this year, and adapting to all the changes, it has definitely tested our resilience and patience. The huge need for human contact is what has shone through for me and the importance of teacher/parent/family relationships have been strengthened and allowed us to get through these difficult times together. True partnerships and relationships have been formed and this will only benefit the children moving forward. The old saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ has been evident again this year.

We have continued to be supported by our wonderfully active P&C. Our P&C have continued to meet via zoom this year and have worked quietly in the background to keep things ticking over. Thank you all for your input throughout the year.

To our volunteers, thank you for staying connected with us throughout the year. Although we haven’t seen you at school since early in Term 3, we know you will be back soon.

I would like to acknowledge the work of our leadership team this year. Our school captains and vice captains along with our House Captains and Vice Captains have been great ambassadors for our school and I thank them for their work as our school leaders in 2021. A special thanks to our School Captains and Vice Captains who have had very different roles this year but I have loved how they have led by example. Thank you Indi, Blake, Ruby-Rose and Buster.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the children for another outstanding year. What a terrific group of children you are to work with. I feel extremely lucky to work amongst you all – you make coming to school each day a delight. In a year when we had to cancel so many opportunities yet again, you have continued to smile and teach us that this hasn’t defined us……our behaviour and positive attitude does!

To the parents – thank you for your ongoing support of Bathurst Public School and Public Education. Our school is a great school and we have developed partnerships in 2021 that we must continue to maintain. If I could keep anything moving forward from the adverse situations that have impacted us over the past 2 years, it would be the strong relationships and partnerships we have formed with the parents and families. Thankyou for taking us into your homes and making us a real part of your family.

To the staff, I thank you for making our workplace such a positive and highly supportive environment. 2021 has been a tough, long and tiring year but you have done everything plus more that I have asked of you. We have changed plans at times over night and you have rallied together, worked collaboratively and made every learning experience the children had engaging, fun and purposeful. You made phone calls upon phone calls but you were all determined to remain connected with the children and parents during some very tough times. You changed operation to teaching on Teams to maintain the connection with children and families. You did this with the children’s and parents best interests at heart. The commitment you all show every single day is second to none. Your enthusiasm and dedication to Bathurst Public School is appreciated and I thank you for your professionalism, support and friendship.

They say everything occurs for a reason. What I have seen flourish from 2021 is a mature, nurturing and resilient group of Year 6 children. Your care and compassion for each other and the children and staff around you has been humbling to watch. You have shown us this year how to bounce back from adversity. You have not had a lot of the ‘last’ opportunities this year that a Year 6 group would normally have, but you have not let this dampen your spirit. Thank you for being our ‘shining lights’ in 2021. Goodbye and good luck. You have made the best of a bad situation in 2020 and 2021 and continued to smile and laugh. It’s a testament to your character. I wish you all the very best as you start your secondary education.

We say farewell to a number of staff at the end of this year. Rachel Hattenfels and Ashlynne Holroyd will leave us and move to Bathurst West PS, Scott Jablonskis will move to Blayney PS and Mr Neil White will finish up in the middle of January. I thank these staff members for the years of teaching, dedication, friendship and support and their ongoing commitment to Bathurst Public School and Public Education.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year. I am really looking forward to spending some time with my family over the break. Please ensure you all take time to relax, refresh and recharge.

I look forward to seeing everyone in 2022.

If any parent has any concerns regarding any aspect of school life, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kate White

Principal

Trixie