BPS Newsletter 2025 Term 1 Week 4
Principal's Report
Welcome to the new look school newsletter for 2025 using the new Schoolzine platform. We think it looks pretty neat but we are still learning how to use the platform, so please bear with us as we iron out the kinks.
Parents will be particularly happy to be able to use the links above to navigate to the newsletter with less scrolling. Parents will also note the upcoming events on the left hand menu on a standard screen and the link to the School Calendar through the top menu or or the hamburger menu if accessing on a phone. Another notable feature is the access to the Newsletter Archive so that parents can easily locate that vital piece of information from a previous newsletter.
Thank you to our fabulous, amazing School Office Manager Deb Rozzoni for her patience and hard work in getting this first newsletter out! We are very lucky to have her. Enjoy the new look. Read on...
School Swimming Carnival
What a terrific day we had at the School Swimming Carnival yesterday. It was lovely to see Brooky students striving for their personal best throughout the day and cheering each other on. One aspect of our students that always strikes me at our carnivals is how supportive and encouraging they all are of each other's success. Results can be viewed below and ribbons will be handed out at next Thursday's assembly (2.20pm in the School Hall). Congratulations to everyone who took part and a huge thank you to our parent helpers. Of course, the day could not have been as successful as it was without the amazing organisation of Miss Kovacs and Mr Hurley. Thank you!
A big shout out to the following students, Cruden W, Riley H, Thomas M, Isabella W and Jack D, for breaking school records!
2025 Whole School Focus
After our success in improving mathematics understanding over the past two years, our teachers have shifted their focus to to developing our students' sentence structure, grammar and punctuation.
Throughout the year teachers will meet regularly during collaborative inquiry sessions to further develop their understanding of best practice in teaching sentence level grammar and will work together to develop targeted interventions and supports across the school. Executive staff, with support from our Assistant Principal Curriculum and Instruction have already begun to research and plan professional learning to support teachers as they work towards enhancing the curriculum in this area. Parents will be included in the learning through parent forums later in the year.
The school will also continue to work on building relationships through inclusive practices as its second strategic focus. One of the exciting things happening in this space is the creation of a sensory room to support students with sensory and regulatory needs. This was successfully trialled in Term 4, and the school has further developed the concept over the holidays with additional resources added to the room.
We will continue to focus on celebrating diversity and listening to student voice. Last year, as part of this focus, the Cultural Reference Group was formed. The Cultural Reference Group is a group of parents and teachers who meet once a term to plan events of cultural significance for the Brooky community. The CRG will meet for the first time this Wednesday from 8.00am in the school library. If you would like to be involved in our Cultural Reference Group in 2025, please send me an email luke.richmond@det.nsw.edu.au or just come along to the meeting. We would love to have you! Please see the P&C section for more details.
Meet the Teacher Nights - Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 February
The Brookvale Public School Meet the Teacher Nights will be held on Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 February, 2025.
The Meet the Teacher Night will provide further opportunity for parents to learn in more detail about class expectations and routines. It is important that at least one parent/carer attends the session so that we can develop the relationships that underpin a successful educational partnership.
The dates and times are as follows:
Early Stage 1 (Kindy) - Wednesday 26 Feb 5pm
Stage 1 (Year 1 and 2) - Tuesday 25 Feb 5pm
Stage 2 (Year 3 and 4) - Tuesday 25 Feb 6pm
Stage 3 (Year 5 and 6) - Wednesday 26 Feb 6pm
Our teachers look forward to meeting you next week.
Last Chance to Apply for Opportunity Classes and Selective High Schools
A reminder that applications for selective high school and opportunity class entry in 2026 will close TODAY, Friday 21 February 2025.
Students in our current Year 4 are eligible to apply to sit the test for an opportunity class and students in Year 6 can elect to sit the test for placement in a Selective High School.
More information about Opportunity Classes and Selective schools are can be found here.
What's been happening in our classrooms?
This week, Kindergarten have been exploring different ways to represent the letters and sounds they have been learning about. In art, students used various techniques of collage and hand print painting to create Valentine's Day cards for their families.
As part of their PDHPE unit on anti-bulling students, Stage 1 students have identified adults they could talk to for help. Students in 1B have made a fantastic wall display encouraging their peers to Be a Buddy not a Bully! In two dimensional space, students have have been learning how to distinguish between polygons and non-polygons using hands on manipulatives. In number, students have been developing their understanding by looking at the attributes of numbers and grouping them accordingly. In daily phonics lessons, students have been working on improving their understanding of sentence level grammar, with a focus on correct punctuation.
Up in Stage 2, the focus has been on developing efficient counting strategies to solve more complicated word problems in mathematics. Students have also been looking at specific vocabulary within worded sentences that would lead them to utilise a specific problem solving technique to guide their calculations. In English, students have been utilising sequencing boxes to support oral storytelling in preparation for writing a narrative.
Stage 3 have been busy representing large numbers in different forms utilising numerals, standard and non standard partitioning and place value. 5K has taken a deep dive into their English unit of work on characterisation, Belonging, based on the text Wonder. Students were asked to write a reflection from the protagonist August's point of view of his first day at school and were challenged to use the four different types of sentences declarative, interrogative, imperative and exclamatory in their reflections.
Other School News
PSSA Trials
The Stage 3 trials are scheduled for Friday 21 February from 12:10 pm to 2:40 pm.
Games will begin in Week 5, Friday 28 February.
Dance Try Outs
We are excited to announce that try outs for the Sydney North Dance Festival will be held next Monday, 24 February. Students from Years 3 to 6 are welcome to try out and showcase their dance skills! Please note that spots are limited, and rehearsals will take place during Wednesday lunchtimes. If your child would like to try out, please tell them to come to the hall at 1:00pm on Monday lunchtime. We can't wait to see your moves!
Mrs Goodearl and Miss Lohr
Library News
Library monitors were on hand today, cutting out red love hearts in honour of Library Lovers’ Day.
Brooky Bites Canteen
Our school canteen is open daily, please see below our canteen menu. You can place your orders through the Flexischools app. Snacks are available for purchase at lunch and recess over the counter—please bring small change only.
Birthday Celebrations: If your child is celebrating their birthday, don’t forget you can pre-order ice-blocks or muffins for their class. Please provide one week’s notice to ensure we can accommodate your request.
We’re committed to promoting healthy eating habits while making our canteen a vibrant place for students. Thank you for your support!
Brooky Bites Team
Go Eva and Nathaniel!
Good luck to Eva and Nathaniel, who will be competing with their teams in the Junior State Cup Touch Football in Dubbo this weekend!
Brooky Pride Merit Awards
Congratulations to the following students who have received Brooky pride Merit Awards. These student's achievement will be acknowledged in the next school assembly.
| Kindergarten | Charlie-Rose T, Chloe B, Joshua L, Lucas S, Yuvi B |
| Stage 1 | Finn C, Charlotte L, Maanvita K, Raffaella R, Madison L, Archie L, Maksim J, Alba K, Hooman G, Ruby K, Noah ZP, Alaina F |
| Stage 2 | Ewan N, Eva M, Nabila S, Adelita V, Lexi M, Sophia K, Kenai F |
| Stage 3 | Lupe PV, Osacr S, Sage R, Thomas M, Maya P, Charlie P, Mila K, Joshua P, Jilian KL, Layla C |
Respect, Responsibility and Personal Best Awards
P&C News
Class WhatsApp Groups – Stay Connected
A big thank you to all the parents who have volunteered to be Class Parents this year!
There should now be a WhatsApp group for each class. If you are not yet in your child(ren)’s WhatsApp chat, please complete the P&C Contact Form, and we will share your details with the relevant Class Parent.
Join the Cultural Reference Group
At BPS, we celebrate diversity as a strength and embrace our many cultures through vibrant events and activities. To continue fostering an inclusive and engaging school community, the Cultural Reference Group is seeking input from parents.
The first planning meeting will take place on Wednesday, 26 February, at 8:00 AM in the library. We invite you to join us in shaping cultural celebrations and initiatives at BPS.
If you're interested or know someone who might be, please spread the word. We look forward to seeing you there!
Secure your Spot for the BPS Parents' Trivia Night
- Date: Saturday 22 March
- Time: 6:30 PM
- Location: School Hall
- Tickets: $25 per person or Table of 10 for $200
- Click here to secure your booking
Get ready for a fun-filled Trivia Night with exciting questions, great prizes, and plenty of laughs!
- Dress to Impress – Wear traditional attire from any country for a chance to win best-dressed prizes!
- Enjoy a taste of Tibet – Three delicious dumplings included with your ticket, lovingly prepared by our wonderful Tibetan families
- BYO food & drinks – If bringing alcohol, please drink responsibly.
- Adults only – This is your chance to unwind and enjoy a great night out—leave the little ones at home!
- Secure your spot by Tuesday, 18 March!
If you are booking individual tickets and want to sit with friends or parents from the same year, email us at brookvalepublicschool.pc@gmail.com with your seating request.
Don't miss out on a fantastic night of trivia, fun, and cultural flair while supporting our school!
Football Parking Volunteering
We are fortunate to be in close proximity to Brookvale Oval. During the Manly Sea Eagles home games, the P&C utilises the school car park for fundraising by charging the general public for parking spots. This stands as a significant fundraising initiative for the school and is an easily accessible volunteering opportunity.
Each parking event requires 3 to 4 parent volunteers for 1h30 hours max (the car park is usually full within 45 minutes!). Tasks include collecting entry fees and directing cars to how and where to park. All instructions will be sent by text message prior to your shift.
It is a valuable way for all parents to help the school and meet fellow parents at the same time.
To thank you for your time, you will get a free entry (general admission) to a Manly Sea Eagles home game of your choice.
Please visit our website to sign up to your preferred date.
Uniform Shop
The P&C second-hand uniform shop will be open on Friday 28 February from 2.45am to 3.30pm.
It is accessible from the main car park and the pricelist is available on our Facebook page:
If you urgently need some items from the uniform shop before then, please send an email to brookvalepublicschool.pc@gmail.com with what you are after and we will do our best to sort you out.
Working Bee
We're excited to announce our Working Bee Day on Saturday 5 April, and we invite you to join us for this meaningful event.
This day is a fantastic opportunity for our community to unite and enhance our school grounds. We'll focus on gardening tasks like weeding and landscaping, creating a vibrant space for our students. Plus, we'll cook up a delicious sausage sizzle to thank our hardworking volunteers.
Event Details:
- Date: Saturday 5 April 2025
- Time: 12 pm to 3 pm
Location: Brookvale Public School
No prior experience needed; instructions provided on-site. All ages and skill levels welcome. Your participation is invaluable!
Please confirm attendance by signing up via this link.
Spread the word to friends, family, and neighbours! The more hands, the merrier, leaving a lasting impact on our school community.