Prestons Post
Term 4, Week 9 &10
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome to our Week 9 & 10 newsletter.
Before I begin I would like to respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we are gathering here today and pay my respects to the elders past present and emerging. It is such a great privilege that we work with and teach the future generations. What a great honour we have to work together to ensure that we improve the learning and wellbeing of every student, every day.
2022 has been another eventful year of challenges, including COVID, cohorting, returning to face to face learning, masks, ventilation requirements, hand sanitiser – and more hand sanitiser!!!! vaccinations, isolation requirements (which impacted greatly on our ability to replace teachers with casual teachers), floods, building repairs and every day learning and engagement for our students. YET, throughout it all we have banded together and continued to do what we do best at Prestons – work together with our whole school community to improve the learning and wellbeing of our students.
it is important at this time that I recognise the phenomenal efforts of you all, our wonderful families. You make a difference every day and it is so important that you remember this, especially in those more challenging times. Please remember to reach out and connect with the school so that together we can do it and we can make a difference to OUR STUDENTS who bring light and laughter to every day. I thank you all, for together we make Prestons Public School the great school that it is.
I continue to be so proud of our schools’ commitment to always putting our students first, to prioritise wellbeing and to deliver high quality teaching and learning for every student in our school.
Our students have demonstrated great resilience and determination. This year they coped with cohort groups at the beginning of the year. When things started to slowly get back to ‘normal’ - and for our younger grades – normal was new and different again, they had not actually seen ‘normal, our students adapted and coped once again. We are so proud of them.
I wanted to specifically acknowledge and thank the wonderful executive team, our committed and caring teachers and support staff and our amazing office staff. I am honoured to work with such a dedicated team who continually strive do what is best for our students.
To our fabulous teachers and support staff who are moving on in 2023, I wish you all well. Thank you again to Mrs Simmons, Mrs Busutill, Ms Cruz, Mrs Akram, Miss McIntyre, Mr Schinella, Mr Harry, Mrs Lawler (Miss Vanessa), , Mrs Ferguson ,Mrs Haque, Mrs Oltavaro, Ms Williams, Miss Anslow, Mr Meoni, Mrs Prakesh, Miss Mancini and Mrs Tan. We hope to see some of you back as casual teachers in 2023.
To the students and their families who are moving to Edmondson Park Public School when it opens up in 2023, I wish you well.
I congratulate and thank everyone on a fabulous year and look forward to another wonderful year in 2023. Have a safe and happy holiday and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone.
Liz Van Der Meulen
Principal
Dates To Remember
Friday 16th December - Last Day of School
Monday 19th December - School Development Day (Staff only)
Tuesday 20th December - School Development Day (Staff only)
Thursday 26th January - Australia Day
Tuesday 31st January - Students return to School
Monday 6th February - Kindy start date
Principal Awards - Week 9
Izaac - K Platypus
Sanarya - K Platypus
Blake - 1 Giraffes
Faten - 1 Flamingos
Leon - 3 Rainbowfish
Aaliyah Mae - 4 Turtles
James J - 4 Stingrays
Shekinah - 4 Turtles
Sapphire - 4 Killerwhales
Emalaina - 4/5 Ravens
Almer - 5 Rosellas
Principal Awards - Week 10
Genesis - K Koalas
Jovana - 1/2 Zebras
Nathan - 1 Tigers
Christian - 1 Giraffes
Aarleen - 1 Giraffes
Mersiha - 3 Jellyfish
Zackaria - 3 Sharks
Ivan - 4 Turtles
Salim - 5 Rosellas
Lamar - 6 Pelicans
Gold Banners
Ashay - 3 Rainbowfish
Logan - 5 Kingfishers
Aanav - 6 Pelicans
Hari - 6 Pelicans
Presentation Day Winners
Congratulations to our fun Day raffle ticket winners
Fun Day Guessing Competition Winners
Congratulations to our Preston's Pride Team
K to 2 Movie Day
Menstrual hygiene program comes to Prestons
The NSW Department of Education is introducing a menstrual hygiene program in NSW public school. As part of the program, schools are installing dispensers that provide free pads and tampons (or just pads) for students to access during school hours.
Our menstrual hygiene program aims to reduce any barriers that may prevent students from participating fully in school life. Menstruation (and its unpredictability) may stop students from attending school or taking part in learning activities. There are also known health risks from using improvised sanitary hygiene products.
The program has been successfully trialled in 31 schools, with positive feedback received from Principals and students alike. It is now time to introduce the program at our school .
Visit edu.nsw.link/MHPExternal link to download a flyer about the program which is available in English and 10 other languages.
Premier’s Back to School NSW program to get your kids ready for back to school
As we prepare for another year of learning in 2023, you can now apply for the Premier’s Back to School NSW program, offering $150 worth of vouchers (3 x $50 vouchers) to help pay for school supplies like school uniforms, shoes, bags, textbooks and stationery.
Every primary and secondary school student in NSW is eligible for the vouchers.
Please read this/the attached letter from the Premier about the program and the vouchers.
You can apply for and access your vouchers in your MyServiceNSW account, in the Service NSW app, by calling Service NSW on 137788 or by visiting your local Service CentreExternal link.
To be eligible, your child needs to be a NSW resident and enrolled in a NSW primary or secondary school in 2023.
For more information, visit the Service NSW websiteExternal link.
Uniforms
Orders can also be made online. Simply visit www.moorebankuniformsandembroidery.com.au
Enter the Password PRESPMUE2019 to shop online.
Skoolbag App
Bike Safety
Protect your head
Bicycle riders are required by law to wear an approved helmet securely fitted and fastened. In NSW there are no exemptions from wearing an approved bicycle helmet.
Research conducted by the University of NSW in 2016 involving 64,000 injured cyclists found helmet use was associated with about a 50 per cent reduction in head injuries of any severity, about a 70 per cent reduction in serious head injuries and 65 per cent reduction in fatal head injuries. A bicycle helmet that is not correctly fitted and fastened does not provide enough protection in a crash.
Helmet standard
Approved bicycle helmets have stickers or labels certifying that they meet the Australian and New Zealand standard (AS/NZS 2063) and have passed stringent safety tests. Helmets manufactured after 31 March 2011 must have an identifying mark from a body accredited or approved by the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ) certifying compliance with the above standard.
Accreditation
Accredited companies that certify bicycle helmets can be found on the JAS-ANZ website. As of October 2012, the following labels indicate that the helmet is an approved helmet and meets the Australian and New Zealand Standard (AS/NZ 2063):
- BSI
- Global-Mark
- SAI Global
- AUS
Always wear a helmet when you ride and make sure you fit the helmet correctly.
- The helmet should fit comfortably and securely when the straps are fastened
- The straps should not be twisted, nor cover the ears. When done up correctly, the straps should provide a snug fit over the ears and under the chin.
- Choose a bright coloured helmet so other road users can see you.