18 May 2023

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

EID Dinner

What a fabulous night of delicious food, good company and wonderful memories with our students, families, and staff. Our EID dinner was a great success, with 380 community members and 28 staff attending our celebration. We thank our families who came along, brought a plate and joined us for dinner. We enjoyed our beautiful student performance, and the night reflected our strong community connections and highlighted the spirit and commitment we have at Granville Public School.

Thank you to Miss Jane and her dedicated team, who purchased and prepared dinner, and our wonderful staff, who assisted with the setup, serving, face painting, selling raffle tickets and welcoming our families and guests to our event.

On behalf of the Granville Public School community, I would like to thank the following local business for supporting our EID Dinner.

• Signarama Guildford for the unique pull up banner
• Trims Fresh – Merrylands who donated our water bottles
• Hussein's Fruit & Vege – Granville for donating and discounting our fruit and vegetables.

Congratulations to our EID dinner raffle winners.

• Abir
• Malika
• Jeanette

Mother's Day Breakfast

On Wednesday, 10 May, Granville Public School held its inaugural Mother's Day breakfast. We invited our mums, grandmas, aunties, and friends to come to school from 8.00am to celebrate everything that our Granville Mums do for us each day.

We were able to spoil our mums, grandmas and aunties by providing a delicious breakfast and taking photos in the photo booth. Lucky door prizes were won, and everyone had a great time. It was beautiful to see our mums relaxing a chatting over a warm cappuccino and baked delights.

Thanks to Miss Jane, the P&C and our staff for organising and planning this fantastic event.

Mother's Day Stall

On Thursday, 11 May, all students were given the opportunity to visit the Mother's Day stall with their class and purchase a gift. I want to take this opportunity to thank the P&C and volunteers who helped purchase the gifts and run the stall on the day. Our students and families appreciate your ongoing support and the opportunity to buy a gift at school for Mother's Day.

Congratulations to our Mother's Day raffle winners. A total of $3130 was raised at the Mother’s Day stall and raffle .

Representative Sport

Zone Netball

Congratulations to Rebecca, Muhammad, Jaques and Takasima, who were zone representatives in the Auburn Zone netball team. On Monday, 8 May, the zone team played in the Sydney West netball carnival at Hawkesbury Indoor Stadium. Our students showed great sportsmanship and perseverance, never giving up against tough competition. Our zone team finished 11th overall and had a great day.

Zone Soccer

Congratulations to Farzad, who was a zone representative in the soccer team. On Wednesday, 10 May, Farzad played in the Sydney West Boys Soccer tournament at Valentine Park. He played striker and was a valuable member of the zone team.

Zone Cross Country

Congratulations to all the students who represented Granville Public School at the Auburn Zone Cross Country Carnival on Friday, 5 May. Students competed against the schools in the Auburn district at Webbs Avenue. All competitors should be proud of their effort and achievement.

Granville Boys EID Dinner

On Wednesday night, I had the great pleasure of attending the Granville Boys EID Dinner with Miss Jane and Mrs Hunt. The evening was filled with fantastic food and several lively performances. It was good to see our parents and past students involved in the celebrations. Granville Boys High is a wonderful local high school, and Wednesday night captured and highlighted its strong community connections.

Student Representative Council and Sports Leaders

Congratulations to our students who received their SRC and Sports House Captains who received their badges at last Friday's assembly.

Our SRC members and House Captains have been elected by their peers, and we entrust our leaders will take great pride in representing their peers. Your parents and teachers are proud of your selection to this important role. Thank you to Mrs Elderton for organising and working with the SRC throughout 2023.

As members of the Student Representative Council (SRC) our students will attend meetings, share information with their classmates, make decisions, fundraise, participate in special initiatives, and provide a voice for the students you represent from your class.

Our House Sports Captains play another important role in our school, ensuring our sporting houses participate in our carnivals and develop a sense of fair play and commitment to a team whilst joining in the Australian spirit of loving things all related to sport. Thank you, Miss Pokler, for working with our sports leaders throughout 2023.

Principal Visit

On Monday, 8 May, the Parramatta Network principals visited our school. The principals visited our preschool, the Support Unit and our music program. The local Parramatta principals commented on the warm and inviting nature of preschool and Support Unit and how amazing our School Band sounded.

Captain Galaxy Visit

I finally met Captain Galaxy at our SRC and Sports House captain assembly. Captain Galaxy made a surprise visit to say 'Hello and officially welcome me to Granville Public School', but most importantly, Captain Galaxy congratulated our students who were accepting leadership positions within our school community.

Attendance

Education for your child is important; regular attendance at school is essential for your child to achieve their educational best and increase their career and life options.

Congratulations

Congratulations to the 194 students who had 100% attendance in our Term One Weeks 6-9 competition weeks.

The Importance of Arriving on Time

Arriving at school and class on time:

• Ensures students do not miss out on essential learning activities scheduled early in the day.
• Helps students learn the Importance of punctuality and routine.
• Give students time to greet their friends before class.
• Reduces classroom disruption.

Lateness is recorded as a partial absence and must be explained by parents.

New Student Financial System – School Bytes

Granville Public School has now transitioned to a new finance system – School Bytes.

The School Bytes Parent Portal provides flexibility for parents to:

• Make school payments online (including paying for multiple siblings at once)
• Use a family credit to pay for an activity or school contributions.
• Download a receipt for payments made.
• View all historical payments in one place.
• Complete and submit digital permission notes.
• View the status of all permission notes.
• Request a refund if required.

This can be done where you want at any time: day or night.

We encourage all parents to register for a School Bytes account now.

Natalie See
Relieving Principal

Upcoming dates

• Tuesday 23 May – Granville Boys High School Open Day
• Thursday 1 June - Last day to order/pay for Year 6 polo shirts
• Friday 2 June – Vivid outing
• Wednesday 14 June – Kindergarten excursion
• Friday 30 June – Stage 3 camp to be paid in full
• Friday 30 June - Last day of term 2
• Tuesday 18 July - First day of term 3 for students
• Monday 31 July – Last day to pay online for ICAS Assessment English and Mathematics
• Monday 7 August to Wednesday 9 August – Stage 3 camp
• Tuesday 18 August – ICAS English Assessment
• Tuesday 29 August – ICAS Mathematics Assessment

School Bytes

To set up your parent portal, follow the steps below:

1. Open the parent portal link from the link below.
2. Select the create a new link.
3. Enter your first name as it appears on your student’s profile at the school.
4. Enter your last name as it appears on your student’s profile at the school.
5. Enter the email address that you use for school communication.
6. Enter a password.
7. Confirm the password.
8. Select create account.

An email will be sent to the email address nominated so that you can verify your access to the email address.

Once you have created your account, log in to the School Bytes parent portal.

You can now link your account to all students that use the School Bytes platform.

When linking a student, the system automatically matches the data you provided with details stored on the student’s school portal.

If you already have a School Bytes account for students at another school, you able to link your students.

If you require assistance to register, please call or visit the school office.

ICAS Assessments

We are delighted to inform you that Granville Public School will be participating in the world-renowned ICAS Assessments this year. ICAS is developed by UNSW Global, a wholly owned subsidiary of UNSW Sydney, with over 38 years’ experience in educational assessments.

ICAS is designed to target students’ higher order thinking and problem-solving skills.

Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition. Every student will receive a printed certificate and an online result report. Top performers will be eligible for medals and are invited to attend special award ceremonies to have their academic excellence publicly recognised.

We encourage you to consider entering your child into ICAS this year. The assessments are suitable for students wishing to extend themselves academically and take up the personal challenge of competing in an international assessment. Your child will be presented with high-quality, expert-developed questions, allowing them to apply their learning without the need for prior study or revision.

ICAS Assessments are now online, a move that reflects a sector-wide transition to computer-based assessments. This allows greater accessibility for students and faster delivery of results.

Learn more about ICAS here: unsw.global/ICAS

In 2023 students have the opportunity to participate in the following subjects:

ICAS ENGLISH

• Sitting date: Tuesday 18 August 2023
• Cost: $ 19.25 inc GST

ICAS MATHEMATICS

• Sitting date: Tuesday 29 August 2023
• Cost: $ 19.25 inc GST

If you would like your child to participate in any of the subjects listed above, please visit the new online Parent Payment System to make a direct payment to UNSW Global. The Parent Payment System is a simple and secure online payment service specifically for parents to purchase ICAS Assessments.

The web link is:

Our school’s unique access code is: HDW701
Online payment closes: Monday 31 July 2023

IMPORTANT: Please enter your child’s name accurately into the System as it will appear on their ICAS certificate.

Community Hub News

Dear Parents/Caregivers and friends of the community.

Community Eid Dinner

Thanks to all the families who attended our Eid dinner on Thursday, 4 May 2023. It was wonderful to see so many gather to celebrate our amazing multicultural community.

Thanks also to our wonderful teachers and parents who helped set up, pack up and attended to the various craft & raffle tables and to those who brought a plate of food to share. The food and atmosphere were amazing especially with the performance by some of our students and the drummers from Granville Boys High.

Thanks to the wonderful local businesses who generously donated towards the dinner which Ms See has mentioned in her report.

Mother’s Day Breakfast

Last Wednesday we celebrated all our beautiful mothers, grandmothers, sisters and aunties during our Mother’s Day Breakfast. It was such a great morning chatting and taking photos of the amazing women in our community. It was so good to see so many come and join us. Thanks to the brilliant staff and parents who helped during the event. I am so privileged to be working alongside so many beautiful & generous people who give up their precious time to help and support the events and activities in the school and hub.

English Conversation Classes

It is always a pleasure to listen to the ladies participate in the class and watch their confidence grow each week. This week they learnt about body language. During the session each participant acted out one of the body language gestures they learnt to their peers.

Join Ramya and the other participants every Tuesday during the school term.

English for Beginners 9:30am to 11:30am.

Intermediate English conversation 12:00pm to 2:00pm. Online is also available for our Intermediate English classes.

Free childminding is available; however, spaces are limited and registration is essential for childminding.

Supported Playgroup

Every Friday during the school term Manju from Boronia Multicultural Services engages mums and their little ones to learn through play and interact with other families who attend. Last Friday the children played, participated in a Mother’s Day activity, used rhythm sticks to tap the beat of music and read a story. Supported Playgroup is a great place for your little one/s to learn through play and make friends along the way.

Supported Playgroup is on in the Hub every Friday from 9:30am to 11:00am.

Breakfast Club will be starting in week 5 of this term. I would love parent/carer volunteers to help with setting up/packing up and serving our Granville PS children. Thank you to those parents who have already contacted me regarding their availabilities. If you are interested in volunteering, please come and have a chat with me.

UPCOMING EVENTS/SAVE THE DATE

VIVID – All are welcome to join myself, Ms See and Mr Prasad as we attend Vivid on Friday, 2 June 2023. We will meet at Granville Station at 4:30pm. It is a great night out where our community gather to travel to the city and enjoy the lights and atmosphere of Vivid. Watch this space and our social media platforms for more information.

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

We may have the opportunity to facilitate a few programs/activities within the Hub in partnership with Parramatta College and Cumberland Multicultural Community Services. These still need to be confirmed. I am currently taking Expression of Interest for the following programs:

• Bringing Up Great Kids or 123 Magic parenting programs.
• First Aid course.
• Basic Computer Class.
• Cooking Class.
• Art Class – Paint & Sip.

If you are interested or would like to find out more about the programs/activities below, please email Jane.PoiTerekia@det.nsw.edu.au or call/SMS 0448 251 911.

HEALTH & WELLBEING

If you require any assistance, please feel free to contact me. All information received and given will be strictly confidential. I will be able to make referrals to various service providers which could help support your physical and/or emotional needs. Some examples are food parcels, counselling, assistance with utility bills and relationship support agencies. Please reach out if you are struggling. You do not need to do this on your own. We are here to help in any way we can, without judgment, to make this time more bearable for you and your family.

I hope you all have an amazing Term 2 and I look forward to meeting with you either on the playground, school gates or during one of the programs/events/excursions during the term.

If you are on social media, be sure to follow “CommunityHubGranville” on Facebook and “CommunityHubGPS” on Twitter.

Stay safe and stay well.

Jane Poi-Terekia
Community Hub Leader

Reports

Semester 1 & 2 reports must be kept in a safe place.

It is recommended parents purchase a document folder and keep Semester 1 and Semester 2 reports, plus NAPLAN results from year 3 and year 5 together.

If students change schools or when they go to high school, you will be asked to show reports and NAPLAN results.

A fee is now charged if copies of Semester Reports or NAPLAN results are requested.

Online Enrolment

We are excited to announce the new Online Enrolment System is now available.

The Online Enrolment System is designed to provide flexibility for our parents to submit an enrolment application online at a 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 restricted to:

• Enrolments into local schools and out of area schools
• 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 is available for collection from the front office or can be downloaded from the link on the Department’s website.

Further information about online enrolment can be found on the school’s website.

Reminder to Parents

School Canteen

Uniform Shop Hours

Opening times:

Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8:45 am – 9:15 am

Lost Property

As the weather is so unpredictable lately, children often take jumpers and jackets off during the day. Please ensure that your child’s name is written clearly on each item of their school uniform.