Term 1, Week 9 - 28 March, 2025

Calendar

From the Principal

This week:

• Class changes and staffing
• Volunteers
• Attendance
• P & C AGM
• K – 6 Easter Hat Parade

Class Changes and Staffing

In the last few weeks, we have made some big changes to our class structures for Stage 1 and 2 to manage class sizes. A number of you were curious as to how our staffing decisions work.

The Department of Education provides a staffing allocation based on the following class size guidance.

• Kindergarten classes are staffed on a state-wide average of 20
• Year 1 classes are staffed on a state-wide average of 22
• Year 2 classes are staffed on a state-wide average of 24
• Year 3 – 6 classes are staffed on need not exceed 30

When we started this year with our planned classes, our numbers in Stage 2 were slightly over and our Stage 1 classes were well below the state-wide average but were doable. We enrolled more students within the first few weeks which made our Stage 2 classes much larger necessitating a late change which also affected Stage 1. My communication to Stage 1 parents could have been better and I apologise for the Friday afternoon surprise.

Thank you for your patience as we made the changes.

We are proposing to hold a mini Meet The Teacher event from 12.30pm to 1.00pm on the same day of the Easter Hat Parade for Stages 1 and 2. Stay tuned for details!

Mrs McNally who has relieved here as Assistant Principal for a number of years has been successful in gaining a position at Empire Bay Public School as Assistant Principal for 2025 from Term 2 and we are recruiting for a replacement for her.

Mrs Groom, our Assistant Principal Curriculum and Instruction begins a period of leave from next week until Week 5 of Term 2 and Mrs Wicks will relieve for her.

Mrs Bonouvrie will be on 2W on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and Mrs Waight will take 2W on Monday and Wednesdays for that period.

Mr Wright begins leave for two weeks from Monday and Mr James Toohey will teach 2J for that time.

Mrs Gemmell will be on leave for the first three weeks of Term 2 and Miss Laws and Mrs Dalton will cover her absence.

And lastly, Ms Stafford will be on leave for Term 2 and will be replaced by Mrs Griffiths.

Volunteers

It was great to see so many keen volunteers at the first induction session of the year – the library was full!

As advised at the meeting, there are some priority school programs that need your help urgently.

• Our breakfast program is free and open to all students and operates on five days a week from the canteen. Ms Stafford needs some keen and reliable volunteers to train up to co-ordinate the service. Please reach out to her to express interest by calling the school and putting your name down.
• Our canteen needs volunteers to assist with packing and serving so that Melissa (our canteen manager) can spend more time making healthy made-at-school items to reduce costs and keep our canteen open five days a week.
• Our garden club needs volunteers to help maintain the garden and support Miss McPhee’s farm shop which is the result of our programs to develop the social and emotional learning skills to collaborate and engage with classroom learning.

In addition, Mrs Griffiths can use your help to cover books and reshelve returned books.

Attendance

Our target again this year is to get more students attending better than 90% of the time and there have been some outstanding improvements from some students and credit to their families.

In addition to the whole day attendance target we are really keen to see an improvement in punctuality in the mornings. While it is great for kids to get out and about in the playground and learn friendship and game skills during play, it is SO important that students are present at the beginning of learning time. Teachers check in with children, advise them of the events during the day, set a positive classroom tone and get them set up for a great day of learning. Important social connections are not developed when students are late.

The bell to start the school day is 8.50am (every single day). During the school term having set morning routines and times for everyone to be ready for school are very important, especially when you have children attending more than one school. Many families tell me that making lunches and setting out things for breakfast the next day are easily turned into a “night before” routine.

If your child walks in the gate after the bell has gone at 8.50am, and the duty teacher has left, then they are late and need to get a late note from the office – even if it is 8.51! Planning to leave a little earlier so that children can arrive on time is a great “job-ready” skill to learn.

Why is good attendance important? It’s simple really, the more you are at school and in class, the more you learn; gaps in learning are reduced, children experience more success in learning and are motivated by their continuing learning success. (Of course, there are other important social reasons too!)

Teachers will contact you to request explanations for absences if they haven’t been provided. They will also make decisions about what counts as a justified absence, and these are generally absences due to being sick or unavoidable and unplanned emergencies.

Teachers use a variety of attendance data, including looking for patterns of absences, sibling attendance to identify problem attendance and will contact you to discuss how they can help, particularly if your child has five or more whole day absences in a semester. You can review your child’s attendance on the Sentral Parent Portal and read about why Every Day Counts at this link.

Please be at school every day and on time to make the most of the learning opportunities!

P&C AGM

At the P&C AGM, a new executive team was elected. Your P&C committee for 2025 is:

• President – Sally Webb
• Vice Presidents – Corinn Baines & Tiffany Evans
• Treasurer – Mel Cranstone
• Secretary – TBA

I particularly want to give my thanks to Belinda Cusack, and Sally Webb for their strong support for the school.

To outgoing president, Belinda, who has led the P&C with such clear purpose and understanding of the effective collaboration of parents and citizens in a school community, whose purpose it is to assist the school and promote the interests of the entire school community.

To incoming president, Sally for her enthusiastic cheerleading, to promote our school in such a positive way. Her commitment to the organisation leading up to the phenomenal colour run was incredible.

It has been great to see new members this year who have been prepared to take on new events and staff and students look forward to assisting our P&C to have a full calendar of events that celebrate public education and build community.

Congratulations to the newly elected team and all our best for a successful year.

K–6 Easter Hat Parade

We will be holding our K–6 Easter Hat Parade from 1.30 to 2.40pm on Thursday 10 April under the COLA. The P&C Easter Raffle will be drawn at 11am that day and prizes will be distributed after the parade. More details are provided in this newsletter about the event.

Thank you for helping the P&C to help our kids.

Hope you had a great week at our great school!

Trish Peters
Principal

News from Around the School

News from 1H

This term, 1H have been learning about narratives and how they can be enhanced by using pictures, artwork and a wide range language techniques.

The class created artworks that related to a story based on the Aurora Australis and a voyage it made to Antartica. 

The class also researched chinstrap penguins then made an information sheet, detailing key facts and a drawing of the chinstrap penguin. All of these skills have helped to develop their writing skills as well as their vocabulary.

1/2M Shining in Mathematics!

In a mathematics lesson this week, 1/2M worked incredibly hard exploring numbers with MAB blocks. The students eagerly engaged in hands-on learning, using the blocks to build and break apart numbers, strengthening their understanding of place value. It was wonderful to see their confidence grow as they tackled new challenges and worked together to solve problems.

We have also welcomed new students to our class, and with a few changes to our routines, everyone is settling in beautifully. The students have shown great resilience and kindness, making sure our new classmates feel at home. Their teamwork and enthusiasm continue to shine, making our classroom a wonderful place to learn and grow!

Keep up the fantastic work, 1/2M!

Mrs Rendall & Mrs Woodard-Knight

Harmony Week Assembly

Last week, KPS celebrated Harmony Week with an assembly on Friday 21 March. This was also the day of observation for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. This was an opportunity for all schools to build awareness of racism and promote the need to act to advance equity for all people in NSW public education. 

The Anti-Racism Contact Officer at KPS for 2025 is Allison Greenland, who had a lot of help from teachers and students to put together a mural for the assembly. The cards on the mural asked questions that the students answered and are available for you to see here if you weren't able to make the assembly. Mrs Greenland was very proud of the students' responses and their involvement on this important day.

You're Invited to Our K-6 Easter Hat Parade!

Join us for a fun-filled afternoon at our K-6 Easter Hat Parade on Thursday 10 April, 2025 at Kincumber Public School! Come and celebrate our students' creativity as they showcase their amazing Easter hats.

We look forward to celebrating with you!

Garden Working Bee

As the wet weather gives way to cool and we start to see changes to our school environment and the lily pillies ripening, our garden calls for some love and attention.

The garden is open to all KPS students about 3 times a week, and I know lots of children who would LOVE to show off our one pumpkin, banana tree grove and 27,492 weeds to families.

We are asking for families to come and visit and chip in an hour or so of their time to freshen the space and help with a

Garden Working Bee - Thursday 3 April (Week 10) - 2.45 to 4.00pm

The basketball court will be available for children to play, parents will be responsible for their own children.  If you are able to come or can help in another way, not on the day, please complete this short form. We always love donations of plants, compost, wool, paint and sugar cane mulch if you have any spare or unused around the house. 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScOZYqpOVRymKFMJiKQFsotvUuJGY-S8-DzDzi9SgbFnEzzzg/viewform?usp=sharing

Would love to see you there to share the work that goes into a space that is so special and beneficial to our students. 

Many thanks, 
Bree McPhee

Athletics Help Required

We are looking for volunteers to help with our Term 1, 2025 Athletics Training Program. 

If you have done your Induction Training through the office and are able to help with the below, please contact the office and leave your details.  Thank you.

Entertainment Book - Sail into Big Savings!

Looking for the ultimate way to save and support Kincumber Public School P&C? With an Entertainment Membership, you’ll unlock a treasure trove of rewards while making a difference!  Join now:  www.entertainment.com.au and select Kincumber Public School P&C for your fundraiser!

Here’s what’s on deck when you purchase today:

• The chance to win a dream Club Med holiday to Bali
• A bonus Multi-City upgrade, with up to 50% off dining, shopping & travel across Australia, New Zealand & Bali
• 20% of your purchase goes directly to support our fundraiser

Hurry – this offer won’t last forever! Don’t let these savings drift away—seize the day and dive into incredible deals now!

Order your membership here: https://subscribe.entertainment.com.au/fundraiser/34h166

New Ethics Day and Time

Could you be an ethics teacher for Kincumber Public School?  We are seeking volunteers so that we can provide ethics classes for all the families who have requested it for their children.

Ethics teachers receive full training by Primary Ethics, the not-for-profit organisation approved to design curriculum and training for the ethics program. Training consists of a two day workshop and short online modules. Lesson materials are provided. Suitable volunteers have an interest in children’s education and development of critical thinking skills and must be available at 11.30am Fridays each week.

In ethics classes, children learn how to think logically, disagree respectfully and support their arguments with evidence, rather than act according to blind habit or peer pressure.

Children discuss topic such as:

• imagining how others feel
• how do we treat living things?
• what is laziness?
• how do we disagree in a respectful way?
• fairness
  

If you are looking for an opportunity to make a valuable contribution to our school, please visit www.primaryethics.com.au or contact Julia Kosheleva on 0402 414 041 or Julia.kosheleva@primaryethics.com.au

Changes to the NSW Department of Education’s enrolment policy for 2025

Please see below a parent fact sheet on "Changes to the enrolment policy".

Lost Property

Lost property is now located in the school office.

Please make sure that your children’s school jackets and hats are labelled with their full name, not initials, in legible writing as this makes it easier to return the item of clothing to your child if found.

Unclaimed items will be donated to charity if not claimed at the end of each term.

P&C News

Welcome from the 2025 KPS P&C Committee!

We are excited to welcome everyone to the 2025 Kincumber Public School P&C Committee and introduce this year’s office bearers:

Sally Webb – President
Corrin Baines – Vice President
Tiffany Evans – Vice President
Melissa Cranstone – Treasurer

We look forward to working together to support our school, students, and community throughout the year. We warmly invite you to join us at our meetings and P&C events throughout the year.

Our next meeting:  Monday 28 April at 6.00 pm

We’d love to see you there as we kick off a fantastic year for KPS!

Reminder: KPS Easter Raffle & Donations! 

Our Easter Raffle is in full swing! Have you grabbed your tickets yet?  Don’t miss your chance to win some egg-citing prizes!

Tickets:
1 for $2 
3 for $5
10 for $10

Get yours here:  https://myschoolconnect.com.au/kincumber-public-school-raffles

A big thank you to everyone who has donated so far!  If you’re still thinking about contributing, there’s still time to help the Easter Bunny fill up all the delicious Easter basket prizes!  Donations can be dropped off at the school office.

Winners will be drawn on Thursday 10 April,  2025 at 11am and prizes can be collected at the Easter Hat Parade or sent home with children.

Donate Your Bottles and Cans to KPS!

Thanks to our hardworking P&C team, we're thrilled to announce that you can now support Kincumber Public School by donating your eligible bottles and cans directly from ANY Return and Earn machine using the Return and Earn app!  It's super easy and makes a huge difference for our students. Here's how:

• Download and Open the Return and Earn app
• Search for "KPS" under the "Charities" menu
• Press "Set as Payout" to make KPS your active donation method
• Scan the app and start returning your containers
• Press "TRANSFER" on the RVM screen when you're done
• 100% of your refunds will go to KPS P&C, helping us provide valuable resources ad events for our amazing students

Community News

Free Event for Year 6 Students

Date:  Saturday 29 March
Time:  10.00am to 1.00pm

Headspace and Motiv8sports are holding a free community event this weekend for young people, which is focused on mental wellbeing and physical healthcare.

This event has now been opened up to any students currently in year 6.

Please feel free to share. The registration link is below. The event includes a free lunch and lots of prizes.
Headspace Gosford Community Event - Motiv8sports

Free Podiatry Consultations for Children

The University of Newcastle Podiatry Clinic at Wyong Hospital is offering children age 0-17 free lower limb assessments.

Children will be assessed by final year students, supervised by a podiatrist. Children and their families can receive advice on footwear, flat feet, and normal development, and receive treatment of foot warts, foot and leg pain, walking problems, and night-time ‘growing pains’.

When: Monday afternoons from 10 March to 26 May, 2025

To make a booking, or for more information call 4394 7280.

Free Group Meetups for Parents/Carers of Children with Disability, Delay and Autism

We’re gathering every fortnight at the Rotary Park in Terrigal.  Parents and carers can expect a casual drop-in session offering free coffee, engaging conversation, and meaningful connection in an informal, judgment-free space.

We understand that parents and carers can feel isolated and unconnected to community. At Belongside Families we are hoping to create self-sustaining community groups of people who are able to get together, chat and share their knowledge and resources with each other. We believe that sharing stories and support can make a big difference.

If you'd like to know a little bit more about who we are and what we do, below is a link to our website 
https://belongsidefamilies.org.au/

Central Coast JDRF One Walk - Sunday 6 April, 2025

NSW Parliament  - Free One Day Event

These April school holidays, NSW Parliament is excited to open its doors for the fourth annual Festival of Democracy! 

When: Tuesday 15 April, 2025 ... 9.30am –to 3.00pm
Where: NSW Parliament House, 6 Macquarie St, Sydney 

This jam-packed day of discovery, learning, and hands-on activities will bring civics, citizenship and the history of Australia’s first and oldest legislature to life for 5-12 year olds and their parents/carers: 

• Step inside history with guided chamber tours
• Get creative in arts and crafts workshop
• Go behind the scenes with special video and documentary screenings and learn about how laws are made
• Travel through time to meet the suffragettes and Henry Parkes
• Participate  in a story reading of the signing  of the Magna Carta
• Take to the floor in a mock committee hearing
• Learn about voting with the NSW Electoral Commission
• Engage with the role of Legal Aid in assisting NSW citizens
  

Get involved, have fun and learn at this free and one-day-only event! 

Parents/carers can learn more and get their free ticket by visiting:
https://education.parliament.nsw.gov.au/free-event-festival-of-democracy-2025/ 

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood

Got a bit of time next month? Time to give blood and change lives? 1 in 3 people in Kincumber will need blood, and they need people like you to give it.

We’re rolling into town on 21 to 22 April. Don’t forget to pre-book your spot at lifeblood.com.au, on our app or on 13 14 95.

Legacy Gymnastics Programs - Bookings Now Open

Little Leaders - April Camps 2025

Australian Air League (NSW Group)

Central Coast Autumn Holiday Junior Chess Tournament

Central Coast Junior Chess Club

Private Chess Lessons

Central Coast Family Support Services

Little Friends Scholarship Program - Applications are Now Open

Imagine you’re a child who has suddenly lost your home and all your possessions because you’ve had to flee domestic or family violence. Imagine how alone this child feels, the trauma they’ve experienced. Like every other child, they not only want to feel safe, secure and loved, they also want to fit in, not stand out from their peers. Maybe they've even had to change schools and make new friends.

Made to feel different because they no longer have the right uniform or school shoes, or their parent can’t afford to pay for a laptop, school excursions, or the long-awaited school camp. Maybe they’ve had to drop out of the music lessons or sporting competitions they once attended and loved to be part of.

This is where the Little Friends Scholarship Program comes in to support our youngest Australians who have already been through so much.

An initiative of Friends with Dignity, these valuable scholarships help fund education and extracurricular activities for five to 18-year-olds, putting children affected by domestic or family violence on an equal footing with their peers.

Scholarships are up to a maximum value of $500 per child.

If you have families within your school community or support community who are financially disadvantaged due to domestic or family violence, we encourage you to inform these families about the scholarship program and support them in submitting their application for funding to assist them with the cost of educational and extra-curricular expenses for their child/ren.

More information about the Little Friends Scholarship Program and access to the online application can be found below.

Are you Looking for Part-Time Work and Want to Make a Difference?

Become an Assisted Travel Support Officer. See below for further information...

An Important Message from The Smith Family

We understand that many families are still facing cost of living challenges and rising education expenses. That is why we’re excited to share that Saver Plus can help ease the financial burden of school costs.

With Saver Plus, families can receive $500 in matched funds to assist with expenses like devices, laptops, school uniforms, school camps and school supplies. Here is how it works:

Save up to $50 a month for 10 months, and your savings will be matched up to $500.

 https://www.thesmithfamily.com.au/programs/financial/saver-plus

In additions to financial support, participants will have access to free financial education workshops, that cover budgeting, saving tips and more.

‘Saver Plus has proudly supported Australians for 21 years, and we are thrilled to announce that the Federal Government is committing to funding the program for the next 5 years!

We accept Fulltime, Part time, Casual wages, Child Support, Carers Payment, and Cash in Hand as regular income.

Busways - Changes to School Bus Service 2588 Commencing Monday 24 February, 2025

Please see the letter below advising of changes to the School Bus Service 2588 commencing Monday 24 February, 2025.  The below letter will be distributed to students on the affected Busways service. 

For further information please refer to our schools timetabled services at: 

https://www.busways.com.au/nsw/school-services/school-timetables 

and select the link adjacent to our schools’ name; “New timetable | 24 Feb 2025”. Alternatively, you can contact Busways Customer Service on 1300 69 2929 or infoline@busways.com.au.

Kind Regards,
Busways Group Head Office
5 Bridge St, Pymble, NSW, 2073

The Y Kincumber OSHC

Triple P Positive Parenting Program - Free program for separating and divorcing parents

Quick Reference Guides for Parents

What is the School Student Broadband Initiative?

One lesson that schools and the government learned from the "learning from home" periods in 2020 and 2021 was that not all students had access to effective and reliable internet services. As a result, many students were strongly disadvantaged, impacting the continuity of their education.

Did you know that the Australian Government in conjunction with the NBN, offer the School Student Broadband Initiative to address this gap? If your school has any students that live in an area that can access the NBN, but do not currently have an NBN service at home, please let them know about the initiative.

Eligible families will be provided with home internet service at no cost until 31 December 2025, through a participating internet provider over the National Broadband Network. The link above provides all the necessary information for eligible families to take advantage of this initiative.

Canteen

• Canteen lunch and recess orders can be processed through the online ordering system Sentral StudentPayPlus or paid in cash at school on the day
• Small items are available for purchase across the counter.  Please do not send your child with more than $5
• Cut-off time for both on-line and cash orders on the day is 8.00am. You can order up to a month in advance on-line
• Canteen orders will be delivered to classrooms
• Lunch - 10.50am (eat lunch in classroom) to 11.30am
• Recess - 1.00pm to 1.25pm

Canteen and Uniform Ordering Information

We are now using Sentral StudentPayPlus for canteen and uniform orders.

Please use the links below to help set up your account if you have not already done so.

Uniform Shop

All uniform items can ONLY be ordered online via Sentral StudentPayPlus. Uniform orders will be delivered to students in their classrooms the following day.

If you require an item that is showing as out-of-stock on the Sentral StudentPayPlus, please let the office know so that we can place the order.

Parents are now able to order a Kincumber Public School logo backpack via the Harlequin online store.  They will be despatched directly to your home address.  Please see a link below to their website and the flyer for more information.

The Music Bus Classes - Term 2 Enrolments Now Open!

The Music Bus has opened their term 2 enrolments and are inviting new students to apply.

Classes offered are: · Keyboard (Prep-y6) · Ukulele (Prep-y6) · Drums (y1-y6) · Guitar (Y2-y6)

Lessons are:

• 30 minute duration - once per week
• held in the hi tech music classroom on wheels on our site
• cost $22 per week ($24 drums) payable by the term on commencement

If you wish to take part please complete this expression of interest form.

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/ee4627a5204c46158e1ab17e7c8069c6

Attendance Matters

Research highlights a clear correlation between student attendance and positive student outcomes. This research tells us that students with an attendance rate above 90% have greater academic and social success. Parents can view term attendance rates for their child/ren in the Sentral Attendance portal.

ALL student absences must be explained within 7 days, this is a Department of Education policy. Parents can lodge student absences through the Sentral Parent Portal at any time within the 7 days.

Online Enrolment System

The Online Enrolment System is designed to provide flexibility for parents to submit an Application to Enrol in a NSW Government School online at the time that best suits you. The application can be accessed on all browsers and mobile devices including iOS and Android.

The online application process is currently available to:

• Local and out of area enrolments
• Children who are Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens or permanent residents
• Children who live in NSW

We offer our support and encourage you to complete your application to enrol online. If however, you do not feel comfortable completing an application online, a paper copy will be available for collection from the front office or can be downloaded from the Department’s going to a public school site.

Parent Portal

Kincumber Public School uses the Sentral ‘Parent Portal’ for a variety of communication purposes.

We broadcast messages to the whole school, stages, individual classes and students. This might include reminders for upcoming events, excursions and may also include notes.

Parents are able to use 2-way messaging for important but not urgent communication regarding student wellbeing and learning. This should not be considered an instant messaging service as teachers DO NOT receive notifications and will only get them after logging into our system at a convenient time during the school day. We understand that many families have flexible working hours and will need to send or respond to portal information at a time convenient to them.  We also expect that families will understand that teachers will manage communications to you in the same way.

You can download the Sentral Parent Portal to your smart phone and receive notifications to help you stay up to date with what’s happening in school.

Rachel Andrew 
Assistant Principal – ES1 and School Improvement 

Before and After School Care (OOSH)

Here at Kincumber OSHC all of our fees can be subsidised by the new childcare subsidy, and we accept both permanent and casual bookings.

Please drop in, contact us on 0408 658 187 or via email at oshc.kincumber@ymcansw.org.au for more information.

Enrolments are done online. Please visit www.ymcansw.org.au/childrens-services and follow the prompts.

Road Safety – a Shared Responsibility 

When thinking about road safety, what is shared responsibility? 

It’s a way for us, individually, to ensure the safety of everyone in our community. 

Central Coast Council regularly reviews the environment around our many schools, improving areas such as the setup of parking restrictions or the upgrading of crossings. Supporting schools to educate their school community about road safety outside schools is also a role of our Council. 

Everyone in the school community - parents, grandparents, carers, teachers, students, bus drivers, crossing supervisors and motorists passing through the area – all have a responsibility for the road safety of our children. 

 Please consider the following to help keep the members of your school community safe 

• If you drop off or pick up children to or from school, please follow the Road Rules 
• There are designated areas that allow for parking but there are also areas that do not allow parking 
• Pedestrian and / or School Crossings provide the safest options for crossing the road 
• Speed limits are set at 40 km/hour to help keep people around school areas - especially children - safe. 

Road safety around schools is about shared responsibility. Addressing road safety issues are not always about needing more parking spaces. 

Children are great imitators so please set a good example and model safe behaviour. 

The Safe System Approach to Road Safety has been adopted in NSW. The following is taken from the NSW Towards Zero Road Safety Campaign: 

People are at the heart of the safe system approach to road safety. 

Road safety is a shared responsibility – everyone needs to make safe decisions on and around the road to prioritise safety. 

All road users owe it to themselves and to everyone else on the road to follow the road rules and drive to the conditions. Crashes can be prevented, and lives can be saved, by making safe choices. 

Source: NSW Centre for Road Safety  

Traffic Around School