5 September 2022

Newsletter Articles

September PBL Focus

Be proud of your achievements.

Catch Card Winners

This fortnight’s catch card winners are:

Lleyton P and Zechariah H

Principal’s Message

Father’s Day Breakfast and Stall

An enormous thank you to Mrs Powell who organised all the Father’s Day events at SIPPS for 2022. Hoping all our SIPPS dads had a wonderful day!

The Father’s Day stall was a wonderful start to the special day for dad’s with a lovely array of gifts for students to choose from. Thank you also to Mrs Ramen and Mrs Price in assisting students to choose great gifts for dads.

The Father’s Day breakfast was an enormous success with the playground filled with dads, grandads and special friends to celebrate with a lovely egg and bacon roll or other many and varied healthier options for dads to choose from. Thank you to all our P&C members who were there to lend a hand on the day, Mrs Bennett, Mrs Dean and Mr Duncan who were cooking up a storm on the barbeque and Mrs Reaper who sold so many raffle tickets.

Book Week Events

There were many dreams in reality this year at the book parade in 2022. Thank you Mrs Allman and Mrs Hayllar for all your work behind the scenes to make this a lovely event for all our visitors and students.

An enormous thank you to the parents who supported Mrs Allman to organise the Book Fair in 2022. Mrs Druce was a fabulous co-ordinator with thanks also going to Mr and Mrs Ramen, Ms Stein and Ms Patel. The book fair was very successful with $3700 worth of sales.

Disco

The P&C committee excelled in their recent Disco evening for our students. Thank you to Mrs Powell and all the parents who worked so hard to make this a sensational evening out for all the students. I don’t think I’ve seen so many smiles and stick on sequins at a disco before! It was a fabulous night and the students were still chatting about it the following week.

SIPPS Gazebo

An enormous thank you to Mr Duncan who has organised the design and purchase of the new SIPPS Gazebos. The two new gazebos have already been in use at the Disco and the Father’s Day breakfast. What a wonderful idea and asset for SIPPS.

Athletics results 2022

Many of our students are shining in athletics in 2022. Congratulations go to all our students who competed at the recent Zone carnival. Thank you to Mrs Taylor for all your support and organisation for this event.

Highlights at the recent Zone carnival include:

• Hunter Nicholson: 100m 9 years boys - 3rd
• Finn Wilson: 100m 10 years boys - 1st. Junior Shot Put, 1st. Junior Discus, 1st. Setting a new Zone record of 30.92m.
• Rhys Duncan: 100m 11 years boys, 1st. 200m 11 years boys, 1st. Long jump, 3rd.
• Junior Boys relay (Finn, Mitch, Hunter and Marcus)- 2nd.
• These students are all eligible to go to Area in their field of achievement.

The following students also received places and are reserves for Area:

• Mitchell Harris: 5th 100m 9 years boys
• Natalie Pullar: 3rd, 1500m 11 Years Girls.
• Ava Chen: 4th, High Jump 12/13 Years Girls
• Marcus Willcox: 4th Shot Put, Junior Boys

Thank you to our parents who assisted on the day and supported the achievements of our students.

Upcoming Events:

Teddy Bear’s Picnic

This week we welcome Kindergarten 2023 to big school for the Teddy Bear’s Picnic. Our Year 5 students are looking forward to meeting their Kinder buddies and guiding them around the school with Mrs Wright for the morning.

Canberra Excursion

Our Year 5 and 6 students will be packing in readiness for the three-day adventure to Canberra. There is an action-packed itinerary. Please make sure your child is ready to go on Wednesday morning with:

• negative RAT that morning
• medication – with original pharmacy packaging and doctor’s label
• final hard copy medical COVID Canberra form signed and dated 8/9/22
• Warm clothing and well packed bag

This will be a wonderful experience for all our Year 5 and 6 students!

Evacuation Drill

There will be an evacuation drill in the week of 12th to 16th of September. This is an opportunity for all our students and staff to practise evacuating in a safe and orderly manner to ensure all members of the school know what to do in the event of a real evacuation. Please discuss evacuations with your child and teachers will address the reasons, purpose and procedures with their classes.

A final note

Now we all know that we should never believe everything we read in social or print media. However, on a very positive note, SIPPS has been listed in the Daily Telegraph as the second Most Improved Primary School 2019 – 2021 on the North Shore, with a 4.7% uplift in NAPLAN results. The staff are very pleased, and I hope our community are equally as proud of this result.

Coming up later this term …

Talk like a pirate day Monday 19th September 2022. Students and staff to dress as pirates for the day.

SIPPS Spectacular Tuesday 20th September 2022, 6:30pm – get your tickets now.

Parent Information Night – Term 4, Week 4 – Tuesday 1st November 6:30pm.

Upcoming events

6th September Kindergarten Teddy Bear’s Picnic for students
7th to 9th September Canberra Stage 3 Excursion
9th September Online 2023 enrolment confirmation due
15th September School Tour 9:20 – 9:50am
19th September – SRC Talk Like a Pirate Day
20th September SIPPS Spectacular
24th September School Holidays commence

Term 4

22nd & 23rd October – SIPPS Family Camp Out
24th & 31st October - Kindergarten Orientation Days for parents and students
7th December Presentation Day 9:30 am
7th December Semester 2 Reports go home
13th December Student Picnic / Party Day
12th December Year 6 Farewell
15th December Student Talent Quest / SIPPS Factor
19th December final day for all students and staff for 2022.

Regards,
Caroline English

Did you know?

Congratulations to Rhys from Year 5 who successfully completed City to Surf at the weekend. Rhys raised $900 for his chosen charity 'The Run Beyond Project' but also ran the 14k course in 79 minutes! 11 minutes faster than he was expecting.

COVID 19 2022 – Term 3 Updates

Covid Settings to start Term 3

This provides you with an overview of how the DoE is working with schools to continue to ensure schools remain COVID-safe throughout this term.

As we continue to prioritise student and staff learning and wellbeing while at school, our layered COVID-smart measures will continue for Term 3. These ‘baseline measures’ are aligned to the NSW Government’s general community settings and include:

• students staying home and getting tested if unwell, and only attending school when symptom free
• strongly encouraging mask-wearing for all staff and students, particularly in the first 4 weeks of term
• rapid antigen testing for symptomatic students and staff, and close contacts attending school to learn and work
• strongly encouraging COVID-19 vaccinations for students, staff and their families, including a booster shot (when eligible)
• strongly encouraging students, staff and their families to get a flu vaccination
• strict requirements for close contacts attending school - you must notify the school if your child is attending school as a close contact.
• good hygiene practices
• maximising natural ventilation
• boosted cleaning during the day, with particular attention given to high touch surface areas
• responding to local COVID-19 conditions when necessary, by working with the department’s Health, Safety and Staff Wellbeing team.

Continuing these baseline COVID-smart measures allows us to prioritise student and staff wellbeing while giving our learners a consistent and productive learning environment this term.

What’s new in Term 3?

As winter continues, our COVID-smart measures have been updated in consultation with NSW Health to provide appropriate protection to our school community.

• Vaccinations. The department has updated its policy regarding COVID-19 vaccination for employees following an independent risk assessment of school (and corporate) settings and consultation with unions and relevant stakeholders. While vaccination will no longer be a requirement for our staff from 1 August 2022, it is pleasing to see that a recent survey highlighted that more than 99% of the department’s active school-based workforce have had at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. We will continue to strongly encourage all our staff to keep up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations as a way of protecting themselves, students, and our school community.
• Boosted day cleaning. The department has made a slight change to its cleaning process. Cleaning of school sites will now be more concentrated during the day, with an increase in cleaning in school hours, and a subsequent reduction out of hours. Boosted day cleaning will continue to focus on high-touch areas and other hard surfaces, door handles, lockers, light switches and handrails in stairways and movement areas.

What’s continuing for Term 3?

• Masks. Masks are an effective way of minimising the transmission of respiratory viruses and infections, and protecting our community, especially those who are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 and flu. We strongly encourage all students and staff wear a mask for the first 4 weeks of Term 3, particularly in indoor settings or when distancing is not possible.
• The latest NSW Health advice also recommends wearing a mask for people who have recovered from COVID-19 and recently completed their 7-day isolation period for an additional 3 days (from days 8 to 10 after receiving a positive COVID-19 result).
• Additionally, as outlined in the below section on close contacts, mask wearing is mandatory for staff and high school students returning to school as close contacts for 5 school days and strongly recommended for primary school students returning to school as close contacts for 5 school days.
• Rapid antigen tests (RATs). The department will send another round of RATs to our school early this term, which we will provide to you in the form of 1 multipack of 5 RAT kits per student. These RATs can be used as required for symptomatic testing, such as if your child is displaying even mild symptoms. Once these department-supplied RATs are exhausted, please continue to access store-purchased RATs which are now readily available in the community or PCR tests. Alternatively, let the school know that you need more and we will try and assist if possible. Additionally, our school will be maintaining a reserve stock of RATs onsite to support symptomatic testing in the event of an outbreak in our school community. Please also remember that positive RAT results must be registered with ServiceNSW, and students who test positive to COVID-19 must not attend school until their isolation period ends and they are symptom free.
• Close contacts. Students identified as close contacts remain able to attend school providing:
     they are symptom free,
     notify the school and
     return a negative COVID-19 test result daily for 5 consecutive school days.
• Additionally, secondary students are required to wear a mask for 5 consecutive school days (except when eating/drinking or exercising). Primary students, while not required, are strongly encouraged to wear a mask for 5 consecutive school days (except when eating/drinking or exercising). Please note that students identified as close contacts are still unable to attend overnight excursions, including camps. Visitors identified as close contacts who are engaging directly with students are required to return a negative COVID-19 test result before attending our school and wear a mask.
• Responding to our local situation. We will continue to liaise with NSW Health and the department’s Health, Safety and Staff Wellbeing Case Management team to ensure our COVID-smart settings keep up with the latest developments. If local conditions require it, this may mean reintroducing temporary additional COVID-smart measures to act as a ‘circuit breaker’, including:
     o mandating mask wearing for all staff and students in Year 7 and above (high school settings)
     o mandating mask wearing for all staff (primary school settings)
     o postponing or limiting non-essential activities like excursions, indoor assemblies and visitors to the school
     o directing cohorts to learn remotely for short periods of time.

• Maximising natural ventilation. The department has reviewed environmental differences across NSW as part of their winter ventilation planning to ensure that local climatic conditions at each school are considered. The department will continue to provide local guidance to schools, including advice on maximising natural ventilation while balancing thermal comfort and the use of indoor and outdoor learning areas for school activities to support schools to adapt to local climate conditions throughout the winter months.
• Reducing the risk of illness this winter. Finally, it is important to note NSW Health’s advice to reduce our risk of not only COVID-19, but other illnesses that may affect our school at this time of year such as the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) , both of which can be serious in younger people. We can all protect our loved ones and our community by:
     o staying home and getting tested if unwell or displaying any symptoms
     o keeping up to date with our vaccinations – including the flu vaccine, which is available from your local GP, pharmacy or Aboriginal Medical Service now
        - flu vaccines are free for all children aged 6 months to under 5 years, or for a small charge for those aged 5 years and older
     o getting tested immediately for COVID-19 if you become symptomatic and isolating until you receive a negative result and are symptom free
     o practicing good hand hygiene by washing regularly with soap and water
     o taking a RAT before visiting vulnerable loved ones or going to large gatherings and events.

With these updated settings in place, we hope to have a happy and healthy Term 3.

Library

Thank you to the entire SIPPS community, families, staff and students, for joining us at school on Thursday to help celebrate Book Week with our Book Week Assembly, Book Parade and Book Fair.

It was wonderful to see all the students all dressed up as their favourite storybook characters.

Special thanks are extended to Emmy Druce and her band of volunteers who set up and assisted with the running of the Book Fair. We had sales on the day of around $3700 which is amazing for a school of our size. I will be able to use the credit dollars accrued for this total to purchase books for the library that have been requested by the students.

I hope you have all been able to view and enjoy the wonderful photos taken of the various events on the SIPPS Facebook site.

Virginia Allman
Teacher Librarian

Art

Enter the NSW Children’s Week 2022 Art Competition.

The Office of the Advocate for Children and Young People together with the NSW Children’s Week Council is inviting entries for the NSW Children’s Week 2022 Art Competition. The competition is open to all children and young people up to the age of 18 living in NSW. It’s not about being a good artist, it’s about finding inspiration and sharing your voice through art. Group entries are encouraged and allowed.

The NSW Children's Week 2022 Art Competition is open to all children and young people up to the age of 18 living in NSW. Children and young people can enter by creating an artwork to show how they are keeping safely connected with their family, friends and community during this time. Artworks can include drawings, paintings, photographs, digital illustrations or videos.

Nine winners (three winners for each age group: Under 5, 6-11, 12-18) will receive an award and prize. Entries close Friday 7 October 2022.

How to enter.

1. Find inspiration
2. Create an artwork based on one of the following prompts
      - Draw yourself doing something fun at - e.g, dressing up in your favourite costume, eating your favourite food or playing with friends.
      - Draw a picture of you doing something that keeps you feeling healthy and happy
3. Upload your artwork into the entry form at NSW Children's Week 2022 Art Competition

• Note: Your artwork must be your original work and needs to be created specifically for the NSW Children’s Week 2022 Art Competition.
• If you have any problems submitting your artwork please email acyp@acyp.nsw.gov.au or speak to Mrs Stone

Yvonne Stone
Art Teacher

Band

SIPPS SPECTACULAR

Some band students are taking up the opportunity to entertain you before the Spectacular commences by learning solos or duets with their fellow musicians.

All students should be working on their band music for the performances at the Spectacular.

SAVE THE DATE

The Senior band has been invited to perform at the Wahroonga Food and Wine Festival on 30 October 2022 in Wahroonga Park.

Our Performance time is 3.55pm

NEEDED – CARPET

The band requires a piece of carpet 1.5 metres by 1 metre for our drum kit. If you have any spare cutting of new / slightly used carpet that you would be willing to donate to the band, we would really appreciate.

Quite happy to collect.

Kate Habkouk
Band Conveynor
Action Music

Mobile 0419 630 511
kate@actionmusic.com.au

Notes from the school office

The Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER)

Students from our school will soon be undertaking, an education tour of the national capital. Students will be given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding of $30 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion.

Term 3 Fees

Term 3 fees are now overdue. Please finalise your statement of account this week.

P & C

Extending the school day?

Do you think that the current school day matches the needs of parents and carers juggling work commitments in the 21st century? The NSW Department of Education wants to hear from parents and carers on how access to schools, outside of standard school hours, can better support families and students. They are asking NSW public school parents and carers to participate in a survey which will be open until 5 October 2022.

Disco

We trust all the kids had a ball at the Disco. Thank you so much to Jess and her army of volunteers – Stewart, Rene, Donovan, Kerry, Paul, Ally, Sarah, Claire, Daniela, Roma and Lorna - for putting on such a fun night for all.

Fathers Day

We trust all our Dads and father figures enjoyed their gift and special breakfast hosted by the P&C. This is a wonderful opportunity for Dads to spend time with their kids in our school setting. And the kids really enjoyed getting to shop at our stall for your perfect gift. Thank you also to Jess and volunteers Rene, Sangeetha, Claire, Tracy Lee, Karen and Maddison for making this wonderful event happen.

SIPPS Spectacular

Tue 20 Sep from 6pm

$5 per adult spectator. Please purchase on Qkr!.

All proceeds go to the P&C.

Great to have this back on the calendar this year. Come and see what your children have been working hard on this term.

Camp Out – Save the date

22-23 Oct

Back by popular demand. SIPPS favourite event on the social calendar.

Uniform Shop Dates this term:

• Friday 2/9: online order packing  
• Friday 16/9: online order packing and second-hand uniform sales (summer uniform)

Next P&C meeting

Wed 7 Sep 2022, 7:15pm. In the School Library

Helping Hands - OSHC

Vacation Care bookings are available, please click on the brochure below for details.

Community