HouseNews Issue 2019 / 1
FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK
WELCOME With the 2019 academic year underway, I hope that you are all adjusting to a change in pace from the languid days of the long break and that these weeks brought an opportunity as I said in last year’s Annual Report, to pause, breathe and smile, to stop doing and simply be…. I trust too that the material shared with you in the Principal’s Pack has answered the inevitable questions as a new year commences. The year ahead is fully laid out in the plethora of documents we have shared with you. And I trust that the large group of new families with in excess of 150 new students, are feeling more at ease with the Pittwater House ways of doing… a warm welcome to you all. With a record enrolment across our School, all is poised for an exciting 2019.
STAFF I was delighted to welcome our new Sta
at an orientation day prior to the start of the academic
year. Over the coming weeks, I shall introduce each of these new members to our community via this medium. In brief: Ms Rachael Sutton, Ms Kim Dunstan and Ms Nina Selvaggi join the HSIE Department; Mr Owen Hamerton, Ms Jessica Rolfe and Mr Justin McHugh join the Science Department; Ms Rachel Visser, Ms Carly Biddolph join English and Mr John Anderson returns to the English Department; Mr Luke Sunol, Mrs Meena Sharda and Ms Erin Lee join the Mathematics Department; Ms Vittoria Clerici is taking Music classes; Ms Cate Wan der Heyoten is taking TAS classes and Mr Stephen Behan is teaching P5. We have taken on additional Sta support our increased enrolments. I know you will make these new Sta Additionally, we welcomed back to Pittwater House a number of Sta
to
very welcome.
who have been on periods
of leave: Mrs Finney and Mrs O’Sullivan from Long Service Leave and Mrs Harvard, Mrs Fischer, Mrs Tamatea, Mrs Holgersson and Mrs Page from other forms of leave. It was so good to see the Sta
together once more as we set the scene for the year ahead.
WELCOME BACK ASSEMBLY Despite the record heat and humidity for the return to school on Thursday (which is just part of the start of any new school year), it was wonderful to have a cooler day on Friday. In our Opening Assembly all students from Years 3-12 were seated in the Hall; they arrived to the sounds of Ocean Alley’s Con dence… the winner of Triple J’s Hottest 100 is noteworthy and exciting for us, given that 3 members of the band are Alumni: Mitchell Galbraith (Class of 2009), Lachlan Galbraith (Class of 2010) and Baden Donnegal (Class of 2009). We celebrate their success and look forward to their great future. As part of the Assembly, it has become our custom to welcome back the Dux of the Grammar School and the Dux of the College from the previous year. Unfortunately, Rebecca Wu is still overseas, however Finlay Dennison received his Dux Medal and both he and Rebecca will have their names placed on our Honour Boards as a permanent reminder of their achievement. Finlay spoke of his wonderful achievement and provided some tips; I trust too that his words inspired the students to get the very best from their time at Pittwater House. Our congratulations to our graduating Class of 2018 for the next phase of their lives. An increasing number of our students are pursuing degrees at the ANU in Canberra as well as the well-trodden paths at USydney, UNSW and Macquarie Universities.
Another tradition at our Opening Assembly is the announcement of our new Junior School leaders. They were led onto the stage by their corresponding School Prefect and were then able to see their parents sitting in the Mezzanine in an act that was full of secrecy. A parent of each new leader then came on stage to o cially pin their newly acquired School Leader Badge on the lapel.Â
AND SO, TO THE YEAR BEFORE US… It seems it was only yesterday that we were farewelling 2018 with our marvellous Prize Giving ceremonies; we were certainly thrilled to have such inspiring Guests of Honour at the Secondary Prize Giving. Whilst we asked ourselves ‘Where has the year gone?”, we can equally ask ourselves and challenge ourselves at the start of a new year that this is an opportunity for accomplishments, for challenges and for being the best we can be in every way. That is what is being asked of all students. I should o er a word of warning… the year 2019 will pass so quickly and consequently I challenge every member of our community to make the most of every opportunity; to be the best you can be and at year’s end, look back on 2019 as the year where milestones were not only reached but achievements can be clearly articulated, and progress made on individual goals that you and your children are setting with their teachers as a new year begins. This new beginning need not be feared; begin the new year seeking growth with each student using the combined tools of our academic and wellbeing programs to make this a truly happy and successful year. I did enjoy mixing with many of you at our Welcome Drinks that we co-hosted with the PHPA last Friday night. Meeting in this relaxed way with the Sta
brought to a closure our hectic yet exciting rst week of School.
My best wishes to you all and I very much look forward to engaging with you as students, parents and members of our wider Pittwater House family in the coming weeks.
For 2019 Start of Year Information Click here
What's on - Events and Excursions in the Next Two Weeks Down l oad
SENIOR SCHOOL NEWS
FROM THE HEAD OF COLLEGE AND GRAMMAR May we add our warm welcome to the academic year of 2019 to the many other welcomes you may have already received. As each new year begins a plethora of opportunities open up for involvement in our school. Sporting programs, academic requirements and outdoor education camps have been organised and are in the process of being nalised or delivered. Regrets from last year can be left behind as a clean slate for 2019 faces us all.
Appearance We were a little concerned that many of our boys had been dragged out of the surf a day early and were not quite ready for school last week. However after a short rant from Grumpy Doc during Form, the boys returned on Friday with well-groomed hair, well presented uniforms and an extra air of con dence and pride. There are many things which are unique to our school, but feeling pride is something which is common to many students in all schools and often this can be manifest in the way students present themselves when they are wearing their school uniform. As we continue to raise our expectations of our students and ask a little more, we continue to request your support with hair, jewellery, makeup, ties, shirts, belts, socks and shoes. The beginning of the year is the ideal time to make our expectations crystal clear so we can get on with the business of providing a well-balanced and extensive education for your children. Thank you for your ongoing support and please contact us if you have any questions.
Restorative Justice We continue to approach the management of our students from a positive perspective. We all have a myriad of choices thrown at us everyday and each choice we make has a particular consequence. As adults, we try hard to protect young people from the consequences of their actions for as long as possible. This allows them to learn from their choices and to grow into mature, respectful and perspicacious adults. However this is not always possible and hence all disciplinary systems include some punitive measures designed to address poor student choice and help them understand the consequences of some of these choices. Our goal is always to help students move forward from where they are toward a deeper understanding of human relationships and the human condition. In 2019, our desire to extend our levels of support to students has resulted in some changes to our student wellbeing, discipline and bullying prevention policies. To further strengthen our support structures, we have added a number of teachers to help support your daughters and sons in the Senior School.
Senior School Year Co-ordinators
The School extends our thanks to each of these individuals as they support our College girls and Grammar boys to set goals, raise the expectations and monitor their interactions. Each is an outstanding educator and perfectly placed to lead our committed Form teachers in the strong and supportive pastoral care programs for which our School is justi ably proud. Central to student wellbeing is a focus on academic excellence, in all its forms. Year Coordinators and our Stage Leader will be monitoring student progress and goal setting as part of their commitment to our students to help ensure 2019 is a rewarding year for all our students. The strength of the partnership between parents and the School is a critical one and requires regular and deep communication. We acknowledge the trust you have placed in the School with the enrolment of your daughter or son and we want to do everything we can to oversee their intellectual, emotional, physical and mental growth. The best way to do that is to communicate our expectations and standards to you as clearly as possible and to hear from you whenever you have any concerns or accolades to pass on. Good news is always welcome as well as concerns and we hope to be sharing many of the former with you over the coming year. Once again, a warm welcome to 2019 and best wishes for a challenging and successful year as we remain semper diligens, always hardworking, together. Ms Lorna Probst and Dr Col Harrison Â
College Years 7-12 Swimming Carnival When February 20, 2019 8:30 AM to February 20, 2019 2:30 PM
More information All students must have their swimming cap for the Swimming Carnival.
Grammar Years 7-12 Swimming Carnival When February 21, 2019 8:30 AM to February 21, 2019 2:30 PM
More information All students must have their swimming cap for the Swimming Carnival.
Years 7-12 Maths Study Centre The Senior Maths Study Centre will be on in the Library on Tuesday and Thursday, 3:30pm until 4:20pm. Maths Study Centre will start this week (Week 2) but will not be on Week 3 due to School Camps.
JUNIOR SCHOOL NEWS
FROM THE HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL ‘Sizzling Starts’ is a term that is well-recognised by primary school educators relating to writing story beginnings which make the reader want to keep reading. A sizzling start can begin with a sound, some action, a question or someone talking. We try to make the reader think, “I wonder what happens next?” There is no doubt that our 80 new students from Kindergarten to Year 6 had a Sizzling Start to the Junior School, both literally – due to the extreme weather conditions, and metorphorically, thinking about a new school; the sounds, actions, questions; wondering, “I wonder what happens next in this, our new school story?” Welcome one and all, new and existing families to the ECC and Junior School for the 2019 academic year. We are extremely pleased to embrace you as part of this happy, thriving and positive school community. The very excited new Kindergarten and ECC students adapted quickly and happily to their respective new School learning spaces. Our new students played games, met new classmates and teachers, discovered their House and familiarised themselves with their new School surroundings. The Kindergarten students were very eager to farewell their parents and let the next stage in their learning journey begin. Our new Bilbies and Possums were extremely courageous spending the whole day in the ECC. As I mentioned in my letter the overarching theme for 2019 is RESPECT, focusing on Honesty; our rst Core Value. This will play out in many and varied ways this year in the Junior School community, both inside and outside the classroom, so please expect to hear it and watch for it being played out.
There are some exciting events taking place over the next couple of weeks, as outlined in The Principal’s Pack. This week there will be a noti cation on Canvas from your child’s class teacher which outlines some important information and dates of events for this term which we would like to draw to your attention. The evening K-2 Parent Information Session will commence on The Deck, (COLA) Tuesday February 5 at 6:00pm nishing in the classrooms by 7:30pm. The Years 3-6 Parent Information Session will take place on Wednesday 6 February commencing on The Deck (COLA) at 6:00 pm and nishing in the classrooms by 7:30pm. This year the ECC Parent Information Session will run before the K-2 session in the ECC from 4:30, nishing at 5:45pm.
Junior School Leaders On Thursday at our opening of the year assembly Dr Hillier presented badges to the Year 6 leadership team, who will no doubt take on this very special role with great pride and enthusiasm. I would like to congratulate the following students.
Preparatory School
Leadership Roles
Junior College
Max Connell
Assembly Leader
Adele Cosentino
Harry McCracken
SRC
Keisha Nepia
Lachlan Potter
Strengths & Re ections
Mirabelle Peupion
Nicholas Selleck
Butterworth House
Chloe Bookless
Charlie Verity
Orrock
Phoebe Cooper
Noah Maggs
Morgan House
Emma Cummins
Car Park I would also draw your attention to adhering to the car parking arrangements in the morning at drop o and at collection time. For ease of tra c ow we ask you to follow the instructions outlined clearly in the Start of Year Information here. The speed limit of the car park is 5km per hour. If you need to escort your Year 1-6 child to the playground you must use the surrounding streets to park. Kindergarten and ECC parents must have their coloured permits on display to park in the designated car spaces for 10 minutes only. With new sta
on car park duty, please have your family name displayed on the dashboard to support the process of collecting your child quickly and
safely. Please be reminded travel is in the one direction in the car park at 5km per hour. Speeding and negligence places our children’s lives at risk. Mobile phones cannot be in use whilst driving through and dropping or collecting your children. Other vital Car Park reminders for you are: Kiss Drop Go is used for students from Kindergarten Wait for crossing guard to escort families across the crossing 10 min only bays may be used to quickly deliver heavy or awkward equipment to rooms Only ECC and Kindergarten vehicles can park from 07:30 - 08:30am and 14:30-15:30pm Do not turn right out of the car park. This action causes signi cant delays and inconveniences all other road users. There is no ‘Events’ days parking (carnivals etc) on campus during the pickup /drop o times For any before school training sessions on the oval, gym, tennis courts and pool, parents need to vacate the car park by 7.30am. Wherever possible seniors drop o / pickup at Westmoreland Ave. Sta
on car park duty are not able to have ‘parent interviews’ whilst on duty
Patience and politeness go a long way towards a pleasant car park experience.
Co-Curricular Clubs Junior School students’ clubs and co-curricular activities will begin in earnest next week (Week 3), if they haven’t already. Speci c yers advertising new afternoon clubs and parental permissions will make their way home this week. Our Drama classes are outsourced to Helen O'Grady Drama Academy - Northern Beaches. Please see the poster contained in this newsletter. The classes run on a Tuesday morning from 7:30am until 8:15am, in the sports centre. To enrol your child in these classes you need to contact sydneynthbeaches@helenogrady.com.au
Year 3-6 Junior School Swimming Carnival When February 14, 2019 9:00 AM to February 14, 2019 3:00 PM
Where School Pool
More information All students must wear a swimming cap.
CREATIVE ARTS
FROM THE CO-ORDINATOR OF CREATIVE ARTS What an exciting start to 2019. We have a growing number of new people in ensembles, a large amount of talented creative arts students engaging in our program and passionate sta
to
support these students. Mr David Cosentino, Co-ordinator of Creative Arts.
“Footloose” Major Production 2019 We have already started rehearsing Footloose for our performances in Week 1 of Term 2. All information for student and families involved will be posted in Canvas. If you are not a member of the Creative Arts Ensembles Group in Canvas please email musictutor@tphs.nsw.edu.au
Creative Arts Ensembles All Creative Arts ensembles have started this week (February 4). The following ensembles are OPEN ensembles and we are always looking for new members. Junior Band, Performance Band, Show Choir, Cantabile Singers and Chamber Choir, Junior Strings and String Ensemble. If you have any questions, please email musictutor@tphs.nsw.edu.au.
HICES Music Festival Years 5 - 8 All students that intend on auditioning MUST be current members of the Pittwater House music ensembles and show a continued commitment. If your child wishes to participate in this event please watch this space or email musictutor@tphs.nsw.edu.au for further information. HICES Festival dates are 18 to 21 August 2019.
Instrumental Music Tuition At Pittwater House we o er an extensive internal Instrumental Music Tuition Program. We o er instrumental tuition in all String, Wind and Brass Instruments, Percussion which includes Drumkit and Tuned Percussion, Vocal Lessons Guitar, Bass Guitar and Piano Lessons. For more information about private music tuition please email musictutor@tphs.nsw.edu.au.
Creative Arts Student Achievements Throughout the year our very talented Creative Arts students will be performing in numerous Eisteddfods competing in many sections such as: Contemporary Vocal, Solo Dance, Dance Groups, Solo Instrumental and Instrumental Groups. These students will be representing either Pittwater House, themselves or their own private studios. We would like to acknowledge the results of students, please let us know of their Creative Arts success throughout the year by emailing musictutor@tphs.nsw.edu.au and we will publish the results.
CO-CURRICULAR SPORT
Student Sporting Success Congratulations to Sam Barnett (G10) who was selected in the Manly Green Shield Cricket team this season and after 3 months of matches and training they go undefeated into the grand nal. Congratulations to Sam who has had a great season representing Manly
Congratulations to both Emma Cummins (J6) and Albee McInnes (C7) who represented Sydney Northern Beaches in the u12's at the National youth water polo championships in Brisbane last week. The girls came home with a silver medal after going down by 1 point to Gold Coast team in a penalty shootout. Congratulations girls.
Term 1 Nominations Nominations are due soon for the following sports please click HERE for more information: Basketball Pathways Golf Hockey Netball
Peninsula Cup Netball Competition Snowsports Raceweek Soccer Pathways Penisula Cup Soccer Competitions Softball Swimming Tennis Pathways Triatholan Pathways Volleyball Pathways Water Polo
CADETS
ARMY PROMOTIONS COURSE During January 12th to 19th, the following students attended the Army Promotions Course 1/19 at Richmond Air Base. All cadets were successful in completing their courses. Warrant O
cer’s Course: Ewan L, Topaz E-D.
Sergeant’s Course: Hannah F, Dominic C, Bodhi C. Corporal’s Course: Sean E, Duncan E, Matthew H, Christopher M, Callum M.
JOIN CADETS All students who will turn 13 or older in 2019 are able to join the cadet unit. Enrolment forms are available at Reception or click here.
LIBRARY NEWS
FROM THE CO-ORDINATOR OF LIBRARY Welcome back to the library after the summer break, I hope students, teachers and parents all got the chance to do some lovely reading! The new term has started with Pittwater House library having lots of wonderful new books on its shelves. A reminder that you can nd many of the library services on the School portal here. From the portal you can log into the library catalogue and information page. This is where we post library updates. You can also access World book online, Clickview and EBSCO from this page. The eLibrary (Junior and Senior) is also accessible from the portal. A reminder that we now have audio books in our collection as well. Students use their regular Pittwater House password details to log on to the page.
Library Sta Head Librarian: Ms Kayte Eyre Junior School Librarian: Ms Trish White Library Technician: Ms Michella McIntosh Please note that the senior library is open BEFORE school and AFTER school only for year 5 and above. This is a Senior School environment. Childcare arrangements need to be made for younger students. Monday - 8:30am-5:00pm Tuesday - Friday 9:00am-5:00pm Last day of term we close at 3:30pm Students are expected to abide by the lending periods set for their resource. Students who have not returned their resources by the due date will receive one reminder from library sta , after this time the student account will be charged (item cost + processing fee) to replace the item. Refunds are not available. Ms Kayte Eyre
Junior School Library Our annual book fair is arriving early this year! Carnival Book Fair will be in the Great Hall and in the ECC between the 18th March – 29th March. We would love a bit of parent help this year to man the sales table. More information will follow but anyone interested can email the library team on library@tphs.nsw.edu.au. The Library is excited to share a large variety of new engaging, entertaining imaginary and informative books. Over the next few weeks, all children will have an opportunity to read these books as well as familiarising themselves with the di erent sections of the library. Whether your child is interested in ction or non- ction books, audio or e books, there is something to cater to your child’s interests and reading level in our extensive catalogue. Borrowing will commence in Week Two. If your child is in ECC- Year 3 please ensure that they have a library bag to protect the books as they travel home. Children in these year levels must have a library bag to borrow. Depending on what year level your child is in there are di erent borrowing guidelines. Please see below: ECC- Year 2 – 1 book per 1 week Year 3- Year 6 - May borrow up to 2 books for 2 weeks
Thank you for your cooperation! The Library Team
PHPA (Pittwater House Parents' Association)
PHPA Welcome Drinks Thank you to everyone that came along on Friday night to the Welcome Drinks evening. A great time was had by all! The drinks owed and the food was exceptional. A special mention to the many wonderful parents and sta
that came in early to set up and stayed late to clear away, as
well as help during the event and in the weeks beforehand. It couldn’t have happened without you. Looking forward to a fun and busy year ahead! Warm regards Kate and Connie 2019/20 Co-Presidents phpa@tphs.nsw.edu.au
New Canteen Manager We would like to extend a very warm welcome to our new Full Time Canteen Manager Amanda Corbett (Mandi) who joined us last week. Mandi comes to us with over 15 years experience in hospitality and is looking forward to working with our current Canteen sta
and our fabulous
Volunteers.
Canteen Volunteer Roster Each week is allocated to di erent year groups however you can still volunteer for any shift during the year regardless of which year your children are in. To volunteer for a slot, please visit https://www.volunteersignup.org/BQDAD and put your name next to the time/date that suits you best. Please click on image below for days where a volunteer is still required. Canteen Manager is Amanda Corbett - Phone 9972 5718 after 8.00am Thank you for your support!
Canteen Menu For the latest menu and to nd out the weekly specials visit the Canteen folder on the Skoolbag app.
Clothing Pool Opening Hours Tuesdays from 8am-9.15am and Thursday from 2pm-3.15pm Located next to the School Uniform shop the Clothing Pool is run by volunteer parents. Please note: Purchaes cannot be charged to your School Account. The Clothing Pool has a 7 day Return/Refund Policy.
GENERAL INFORMATION
SCHOOL SHOP The School Shop will be open Thursday 14th February 8.00am - 12 noon instead of Friday 15th of February. All students must have their swimming cap for the Swimming Carnival. Junior School students must have a note from their parent or guardian to purchase items from the school shop. Junior School do not need their blazer until term two. Please label all uniform items.
ALUMNI NEWS Congratulations: Congratulations to 2001 Grammar School Captain Adam Player who last month was awarded the 2018 Sydney award for Best Supporting Actor in an Opera for his performances in the Australian Opera’s production of Candide.
To Notify the School of Student Absences Please download and use the Skoolbag app or Log in to the Edumate Portal or email attendance@tphs.nsw.edu.au
Term Dates Down l oad
Edumate and Skoolbag Basic Training Sessions If you are interested in some basic training in Edumate and Skoolbag. Please call School Admin on 9981 4400 or email school.admin@tphs.nsw.edu.au to book a half hour appointment between 7.30am and 3pm.
Photo/Film Opt Out Pittwater House is committed to using student images in a safe, digni ed and responsible manner. If you DO NOT want images or lm of your child/children engaging in School activities to be published to promote Pittwater House School please ensure you complete and submit the Photo/Film Opt Out form on Skoolbag. You may opt out at any time. No action from you will be taken as implied consent.