19 February 2025

Template Article - School Motto

Principal’s Message

Welcome back!

It’s so lovely to see so many happy, familiar faces to start our new year. It's also great to welcome all of our new Kindy students and families and the many new families in Grades 1 - 6 who have also enrolled.

Please remember my door is always open if you need to talk with me. Please email the school to arrange a suitable time.

Staffing for 2025

We have been fortunate to secure our full complement of staff for 2025 and have had our new assistant principal and deputy principal appointed.

Principal - Mrs Christine Taylor
Deputy Principals - Mrs Naomi Shacham and Mr Daniel Gorrie
Business Manager - Mrs Victoria Hague

Classes for 2025

Our 2025 Classes are as follows:

Specialist teachers

Administration Staff

School Map

Please click on the document below for the location map of all 2025 classrooms.

Merit Awards Flowcharts

Please see the below two flow charts outlining how our students can earn a Bronze, Silver and Gold Award. The Bronze Award forms the leadership pathway, with the end goal being that students can add these to their leadership portfolio.

Extra Curricular Activities

In addition to our magnificent strings and band program which is run by our brilliant P&C, the following extra curricular activities are available before and after school. Choirs and dance groups run by teachers are outlined in the K-6 news section later in this newsletter.

National Ride to School Day - Friday 21 March

Our school has joined the National Ride to School Day Campaign. Students and families can participate in this day. Students under 10 years old need to be accompanied by an adult. All riders on scooters or bikes need to wear a helmet. No electric bikes or scooters permitted. Please click on the link below for some helpful resources that also align with our safety unit.

Parking Restrictions and Fines

Please see the following message from one of the school's considerate neighbours:

Dear St Ives North,

Welcome back! Just a friendly reminder regarding parking in the small cul-de-sac at the end of Memorial Avenue. There is only parking on one side of the street, the other side has clear No Stopping signs all the way down to the end. The fines for stopping or parking here are $320 and 2 demerit points!

I quite understand that in the first few weeks back many new families will not be familiar with the above restrictions and the street cul-de-sac has been jam packed on both sides, including waiting cars parking across driveways.

We have lived here for many years and have been at the receiving end of these fines and demerit points so we only want to spare others! Wishing both staff, students and their families a very happy school year at a wonderful School!

Christine Taylor
Principal

Deputy Principals’ Message

Silver Awards

Congratulations to the following students who received their Silver Awards at assembly:

Year 1: Hannah A (1C), Adrian L (1C), Ryan A (1M), Carina C (1M), Derek C (1M), Eliana V (1M), Ray Y (1S), Benjamin C (1T), Ava K (1T), Sophia S (1T), William T (1T)
Year 2: Andres L (2A), Fred G (2B), James R (2BW), Terrence W (2BW), Carter N (2M), Mark N (2M)
Year 3: Joshua R (3J), Brian N (3J), Adhira B (3LH), Chloe Z (3LH), Ryan F (3MW)
Year 4: Ralph D (4H), Yumin K (4M), Aiden F (4P), Harrison F (4P)
Year 5: Peyton L (5G), Doris H (5N), Emma T (5N)
Year 6: Lorenzo F D S (6GC), Lucas L (6H), Olivia G (6H), Luna T (6L), Audrey D (6L), Emma S (6L), Alina Y (6L), Evan M (6T)

Bronze School Spirit Awards

Congratulations to the following students who received their Bronze School Spirit Awards at assembly:

Year 2: Ranvit K (2A)
Year 4: Jacinta M (4M)
Year 5: Peyton L (5G)

Naomi Shacham and Daniel Gorrie
Deputy Principals

K-6 Years News

Harmony day

Parents and carers are invited to celebrate Harmony Day at St Ives North Public School on Wednesday 26 March 2025.

Students are asked to dress in their cultural clothes or wear orange to appreciate and celebrate the diversity at St Ives North Public School.

On Wednesday morning at 9:10 am, students in K-6 will parade around the oval, showing off their wonderful costumes and then the parade will culminate in a harmonious whole school song.

If parents or carers wish to share an aspect of their culture with their child’s class, please email the class teacher to discuss. No food is permitted however, ideas could include showing and discussing cultural clothes, musical instruments, language or art. This will take place after the parade until recess, approximately 10 am - 10:40 am.

Before leaving, parents and carers may like to look at the wonderful whole school collaborative Harmony Day artwork displayed in the school hall.

Choir

Ms Caroline Cady will be coordinating the Year 3-4 (stage 2) choir conducted by Mr Alex Persson and Miss Yuri Ok. This will be on Monday mornings at 7:45 am. Students should meet the teachers outside the canteen just prior to starting time. This choir offers students the opportunity to sing at the Sydney Town Hall as well as at school events.

Ms Cady will also be coordinating and conducting the Year 5-6 (stage 3) choir. This choir is open to all students in stage 3 as well as orchestra students in Year 4 who are unable to attend the Monday choir due to their string rehearsal. The stage 3 choir meets on Wednesday mornings at 7:45 am. Students should meet Ms Cady outside the canteen just prior to starting time. This choir offers students the opportunity to sing at the Sydney Opera House and at Schools Spectacular, as well as at school events.

Dance

Miss Gunson and our choreographer Miss Jen are currently auditioning students in Years 3 to 6 for dance groups. These groups will rehearse during lunchtimes and will audition for the Sydney North Dance Festival and other local events. Parents will be contacted if your child is successful in the audition. A prompt response will be appreciated as there are costs involved and many children auditioning will miss out. If your child cannot attend, we would like to offer places to other students.

Year 6 Cupcake Day

The Year 6 committee is organising the Year 6 fundraiser Cupcake Day on 18 March. Please click on the poster below for more information.

Scholastic Book Club

Ordering from Book Club is a simple and cost-effective way to provide students with top-quality children's books for home reading, while promoting independent reading for enjoyment. Each issue features a diverse selection of titles, ranging from beloved fiction series and award-winning books to engaging new picture books, intriguing non fiction, and interactive activities that foster creativity and problem-solving skills.

With every order you place, 15% of the order's value is returned to the school as reward points. These points can be used by the school to purchase additional books for the library and classroom resources.

How to order on Book Club?

You can place Book Club orders by downloading the LOOP app or visiting the Scholastic Australia LOOP website. After registering your child, simply select their class from the drop-down menu. Once you've submitted your order, the books will be delivered to the school, sorted, and then distributed to your child's class. For existing students, please don't forget to update your new classes before you place an order.

Issue 1 is now open and orders close on Friday 21 February. If you would like to volunteer to sort the books, please email to sinpsbookclub@gmail.com. It usually takes one hour to sort the books when we have at least four parents volunteering.

Library News

Library Classes

Library classes will commence on Monday 25 February. Your teacher will advise you which day you will be having your library class this year.

Please remember to bring your library bag with you on your day. We have a wonderful collection of books and one of our rules is that all books must be carried home safely and securely in a dedicated library bag in order to protect them. 

Art in the library

Help us once again to fill the library with your gorgeous art.

This year we are again asking all the artists in the school to help us decorate our walls with creative, colourful and imaginative art.

Each term we will give you a theme and ask interested students to create works of art to be framed and hung in the library.

The theme this term is the Harmony Day theme Everyone Belongs – Celebrating Diversity and Fostering Belonging. Harmony Day celebrates our cultural diversity and promotes inclusiveness, respect, and a sense of belonging for everyone.

To help you think about what you may like to create, we came up with a few ideas that spark your imagination. Use these ideas or use them to spark a new idea of your own.

Maybe you could:

• Create a drawing or painting of you and your friends
• Create a self portrait
• Illustrate your favourite food - Eating together is a wonderful way to celebrate diversity
• Illustrate a traditional costume

We can't wait to see what you produce!!

Mrs Nalder and Mrs Thompson

Sport News

Little Athletics Region Championships

The Little Athletics Region Championships were held on 8 and 9 February at Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush. The athletes competed extremely well in the very hot and humid conditions. Congratulations to the following Athletes:

Bailey V (3MW) - 9 years

• Silver - Long Jump
• Silver - 60m Hurdles
• Silver - Junior Boys 4x100m Relay
• 5th - 100m
• 6th - 200m

Anjali A (3J) - 9 years

• 4th - 700m Walk
• 5th - Discus
• 9th - Shot Put

Sachin A (6GC) - 12 years

• 5th - 1500m Walk

Zach P (3J) - 9 years

• 6th - 700m Walk
• 8th - Shot Put

The following athletes will now go on to compete at the NSW Little Athletics Championships on 22 and 23 March:

Bailey V - Long Jump and 60m Hurdles

Anjali A - 700m Walk & Discus

Sachin A - 1500m Walk

We wish these three athletes the best of luck.

P&C News

Update from P&C President

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to the new school year. We hope that you had a relaxing break and that your children are settling in well to their new classes.

Class WhatsApp Groups

Please ensure you join the P&C WhatsApp class groups to ensure that you don’t miss out on school communications: www.sinpspnc.org.au/2025-class-groups. Thank you to all the parents who have offered to be a class parent. Sophie Ding, our Class Parent Coordinator, has been working hard to set up all the class groups and has allocated class parents for most classes. A handful of classes are yet to have any volunteers, so if this is your child’s class, please consider helping out. It’s a great way to meet other parents and contribute to the school. We have adjusted the way we make announcements on the chat, so the role of the class parent should be very manageable, mainly organising a few low-key class playdates throughout the year and answering class specific questions as they arise.

Lunar New Year

Thank you to Kate Kirk, our P&C Treasurer, for organising the Lunar New Year envelopes and chocolate coins for students. We hope that your children enjoyed this treat and we wish all families that are celebrating Lunar New Year, a happy and prosperous year.

Sport

As we settle into the new routines, there have been many questions around the structure of sport, SISA and PSSA sport at the school. The structure of PSSA sport has changed this year from a weekly game to two gala days per term. On these gala days, students who are not participating in PSSA will instead have a school gala day. School sport and SISA are continuing as normal in the school. For full details on the sports schedule please see the P&C website www.sinpspnc.org.au/sport. A huge thank you to Jane Vassella, our P&C sports coordinator, for all her work in getting ready for the 3-6 swimming carnival and for her work in implementing the new PSSA gala days.

How to get involved

We have our AGM coming up on Tuesday 4 March where we will elect the new P&C Executive Committee for 2025. We are fortunate enough to have most of the current committee willing to continue to serve in their current positions, but we are very keen to have some fresh faces join us. If you are at all interested in coming on board please reach out or fill in the expression of interest form on the website so we can get in touch and see how best we could utilise your skills https://www.sinpspnc.org.au/about/executive-committee.

2025 Canteen Menu

Please click on the flyer below to view the delicious offerings of the SINPS Canteen Menu.

Roshell Boulton
SINPS P&C President
president@sinpspnc.org.au 

SINPS Music in 2025

Welcome to all music parents! Our rehearsals kicked off on 10 February and groups are now nearly settled.

Training Band Tutorials

As part of our improvement plan, we’ve introduced weekly tutorial sessions for Training Band musicians in Term 1. These morning sessions, led by professional tutors, focus on base techniques to help students progress faster in group rehearsals. The cost of these sessions is already included in the annual music fee.

So far, tutorials for flute, trumpet, percussion, and low brass have been confirmed and communicated. Clarinet and saxophone sessions are in the final confirmation stage.

Parent Helpers’ Roster

As you know, parent helpers play a crucial role in our rehearsals. Without their support, we wouldn’t be able to run productive sessions.

One of the prerequisites for joining the music program is volunteering once or twice per term (or less in larger groups). We understand that everyone has busy schedules, so please mark your allocated times in your calendar. If you’re unable to attend, it’s essential to arrange a replacement by coordinating with other parents or seeking help from the coordinators in advance.

Music Committee and Coordinators

A huge thank you to the parents who have already stepped up to be part of the Music Committee and help coordinate our groups. Their support is invaluable!

To ensure the smooth running of the program, we still need to fill the following roles as soon as possible:

• Music President
• Media Coordinator
• Instrument Hire Coordinator
• String Ensemble Manager
• Junior Concert Band (JCB) Coordinator
• Intermediate Strings (IS) Coordinator
• Elementary Strings (ES) Coordinator

If you're interested or need more details, please reach out to me.

Confirmed Performances

We love showcasing our talent on stage and participating in festivals! As performance opportunities arise, we’ll assess and add them to our calendar.

For now, please mark your calendars for the following confirmed performances. Attendance is essential, so make sure to arrange the required music uniform in advance.

Regards
Ali Shahnazi
SINPS P&C Music President
https://www.sinpspnc.org.au/music

Community Noticeboard

St Ives High School Open Day

The St Ives High School Open Day is coming up on Monday 3 March. Please click on the flyer below for more information.

Narrabeen Sports High School Open Night

Narrabeen Sports High School is hosting their Open Night on Tuesday 4 March from 4:00 pm.

This is a fantastic opportunity for prospective families to explore their school, meet the teachers, and learn about the diverse programs they offer. Please click on the flyer below for more details.

Normanhurst Boys High School Open Day

Normanhurst Boys High School Open Day for prospective students entering Year 7 in 2026 will be held on Tuesday 4th March. Please click on the flyer below for more details.

Before and After School Soccer Classes

Would you like your child to learn soccer or work on their skills? State Soccer is an outside company who comes into our school to teach soccer skills to the students. Sessions will take place on the school oval on Mondays 3pm-5pm and Fridays 7:30 am-8:30 am. Please see the flyer below for more information.

Healthy Lunchbox Ideas

Last week was National Lunchbox week and the following link has a variety of lunchbox ideas to help keep parents inspired.

Lunchbox Fact Sheets and Guides

After School Public Speaking Classes

Please see the flyer below for more information about after school public speaking classes at SINPS.

St Ives Football Club

St Ives Football Club (Soccer) Registrations are now open for 2025, open to boys and girls.
https://www.sifc.com.au/registration

Gordon Football Club

Please see the flyer below for information about playing for Gordon Football Club.

St Ives Rugby Club

Please see the flyer below for more information about playing Rugby for St Ives Rugby Club or give Troy a call at the Club. They are especially looking for 10 and 11 year olds.

Extended Leave Application Form 

For travel of four days or more, please complete the online form through the link below or in the School Bytes parent portal in the Forms section: 

Volunteer Declaration Form for parents/carers wanting to volunteer at our school

The Department of Education has digitised their screening process and you now only need to complete a digital declaration. Parents and carers who would like to volunteer at our school for any reason (e.g. canteen, class helpers, reading groups, athletics carnivals, special events, etc.) are required to complete a Digital Volunteer Declaration.

Prior to commencing volunteer work, please contact the office to provide your full name, email address and mobile number. The Department of Education will then send an invitation via email to you to complete an online Digital Declaration. Next time you attend the school, you will need to present a photo ID to finalise the screening process.  

We understand you may have already been through the screening process, but we are asking you to redo your declaration form through this new process.

Change of Student Details Form

Parents can now update student contact and address details by completing the online form through the link below or in the School Bytes parent portal in the Forms section: