20 June 2025

Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

Winter is well and truly upon us with these chilly mornings and cold evenings, so I hope that you’re reading this in a cosy location, perhaps with a warm cuppa!

Time to enrol for 2026!

Enrolments are now open for Kindergarten 2026 for families in our school intake zone.

Please visit our school website and apply online at your earliest convenience.

Once enroled, you will be placed on our database so that we may invite you to participate in our Kindergarten transition held in Term 4.

Please note: invitations to participate in our transition program will only be issued to students who are actually enroled at Avalon Public School. Invitations will be issued in late September, so we recommend that you enrol as soon as possible. 

Staffing Update

Speaking of enrolments, each year, I mention how important enrolments are to our school. Our staffing in terms of teachers and admin staff is directly related to the number of students in our school.

Each year, I note that we may ‘lose’ a teacher if our enrolment numbers continue to decline. Last year, we had to say goodbye to Mr Casey as our numbers dropped from 680 down to 660 for the 2025 school year.

This year, with our enrolments below 701 students for the second year in a row, department policy dictates that one of our two Deputy Principal (DP) positions must be placed on ‘review’.

What does this mean?

Effectively, if our numbers stay below 701 at the beginning of the next school year - specifically, February 2026 - one of our DP positions will need to be abolished at the end of 2026. As we are losing 106 Year 6 students at the end of 2025 and only expect around 80 Kindy enrolments next year, it is all but guaranteed that from 2027, we will become a 1 DP school.

So, how is it decided who is placed on review, especially when we have two amazing DPs in the shape of Mrs Weber (3-6) and Ms Howarth (K-2)? The criterion is “principals must consider the whole school’s staffing needs in relation to its curriculum, which is the overriding factor in all such decisions.”

On that basis, and in discussion with our Director of Educational Leadership Andrew Stevenson, the very difficult and painful decision was made to place Mrs Lisa Weber’s position on review.

It was one of the most difficult and challenging decisions of my professional career. Mrs Weber has loyally, professionally and expertly served our community for more than two decades as a teacher, Assistant Principal and ultimately, Deputy Principal. We have been blessed to have her co-leading our school.

Please be assured, Mrs Weber is not being sacked or being made redundant. The department is obliged to find her a position as DP in another nearby school. In better news, Mrs Weber is going nowhere for quite a while. The process requires that her position be held on review for six terms from the beginning of Term 2 this year. Therefore, the confirmation that Mrs Weber’s position is abolished won’t take place until Term 4 next year at the earliest. On those grounds, she would not start at another school until January 2027. We get to keep Mrs Weber for all of 2026 which is a big relief!

School Readiness Information Evening

Our School Readiness Information Night is fast approaching and will be held on Wednesday 30 July, from 6:00–7:00pm in the school library.

If you haven’t already registered, please do so via the link below:

In the meantime, we invite you to:

• Book a school tour with me on Tuesday 29 July, to explore our welcoming learning environment.

Watch our Kindergarten introduction video to get a glimpse of what learning looks like at our school:

We look forward to welcoming you and sharing more about how we support a smooth and positive start to school life.

Purple Ribbon Day

This Thursday 26 June  is Purple Ribbon Day. On this day we remember one of our students, Jessica Goozee, who lost her battle with a rare form of bone cancer 24 years ago.

Every year we distribute a purple ribbon to every child to honour her courage and determination. We ask students to bring a gold coin on this day that goes towards cancer research.

To celebrate, children may come to school dressed in purple mufti (play clothes, sensible shoes, etc). 

• Please bring one gold coin for the purple ribbon.
• One gold coin to put on the chalk mural.
• $2 for purple hair spray/tattoo - optional.
• $2 for purple food. This includes jellies, cakes, and ice-blocks - optional. Anaphylactic options available.

Please ensure all money brought in is in a bag or purse with your child’s name on it. All proceeds will be donated to the Children’s Cancer Institute.

Thanks to our Kindy team who are organising this annual school tradition.

Avalon in Wonderland

Our first official flyer has been created for next term’s whole school production of Avalon in Wonderland. Save the dates now!

Sydney North Dance Festival

Good luck to our 3-4 and 5-6 dance groups performing at Glen St Theatre next weekend in the Sydney North Dance Festival. It’s always a great event and highly recommended.

Thank you to Mrs Garrard who has surpassed herself yet again with her choreography and development of our talented dancers.

Big Mob Day

Last Tuesday, the inaugural ‘Peninsula Network Big Mob Day’ was held at Gibberagong. 50 students of Aboriginal background from our network experienced a wonderful on country experience with Uncle Les and Lea Harlow (Gibberagong & Hornsby AECG). We’ll do it again next year at another special outdoor venue. Thanks to Ms Pearce who accompanied our very excited students.

Year 6 in Canberra

A rite of passage for Year 6 students across the state, our Year 6 classes next week head off to the chilly weather of our national capital as part of their studies of democracy. Amongst other highlights, they will also visit the War Memorial and challenge their scientific thinking with a fun stopover at Questacon. A big thank you to all our staff who accompany the students on this overnight excursion.

Reports

Reports will be sent home with students on Monday 30 June.

The reports are a summary of your child’s progress to date. If you would like to discuss the report with your child’s teacher, please make an appointment via the school office.

I am sure that you will join me in thanking the teachers and executive for the enormous effort and number of hours that they have taken to write these reports. Teachers will spend anywhere between 30-40 hours of their own time drafting, editing and rewriting these important documents; it is the equivalent of another working week on top of their regular school hours. It is also in addition to the hours that they already spend in the evenings and on weekends preparing lessons, assessing, planning and marking work. Somewhere amongst all that work, I believe they also find time for family life too!

The best case scenario for AI in Schools

“The ways in which AI is changing our world can be a bit scary. It's getting harder to tell what's real and what's fake. It's unclear what jobs will exist in a few years. But more than anything, I worry about our kids – and whether a full-on embrace of AI could harm their ability to read deeply, write clearly and think critically.”

So writes BBC reporter Katty Kay in a recent article about AI in schools. If this resonates with you, you might find the short article and the accompanying 11 minute interview with Sal Khan of the Khan Academy quite enlightening.

Finally, I will be on leave for the last week of term as I will be visiting my daughter who is attending the University of Caen in France throughout 2025. It’s a very quick 10-day trip and I will return in the middle of the holidays. Ms Bianca Howarth will be relieving as principal for the final week of term and Mrs Ashlea Simonetti will be relieving as K-2 Deputy Principal for Ms Howarth. The school will be in more than capable hands!

Wishing you all a happy and safe last few weeks of school and wonderful quality time with your children during the holidays.

Thank you, as ever, for your great support of our wonderful school.

Andy Rankin

Principal

PBL Rewards Initiative

We are excited to share a new initiative at Avalon Public School that celebrates our students’ positive behaviour and supports our school values of Respect, Responsibility, and Personal Best.

As part of our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) framework, we have introduced a Whole School Reward System designed to recognise and celebrate the amazing behaviour choices our students make every day. This initiative is about building a positive school culture, where students feel recognised and proud of their behaviour and contributions. We look forward to sharing this journey with our community and celebrating together.

How It Works:

• Students earn PBL tokens for displaying positive behaviour.
  
  
• Tokens are collected weekly by House Captains and tallied fortnightly.
  
  
• Once our whole school reaches 10,000 tokens, we will celebrate with a Whole School Fun Afternoon!

Whole School Fun Afternoon:

• A fun and inclusive afternoon of activities with input from the students once the token goal is reached.
  
  
• A mix of active, creative, and quiet play options will be available, including:
  
  
• Water painting, chalk drawing, skipping, basketball shooting
  
  
• LEGO and origami stations
  
  
• Disco, handball, soccer shoot-outs and more!
  
  
• Activities will be run in K-2 and 3-6

We’ll also provide a quiet play area for students who prefer calmer spaces, supported by our SLSOs and executive team.

More information to come as we approach the 10,000 token target!

Sport

Congratulations to Bowie Acevedo 6CW and Evie Roberts 6LF from Avalon Public School, who recently trialled for the Sydney North Netball team. Both girls showcased tremendous skill, effort and sportsmanship during the trials, competing against some of the best young players in the region. The level of competition was incredibly strong, and we are proud to announce that Bowie Acevedo was successful in gaining selection into the Sydney North team. Bowie will now go on to represent Sydney North at the NSWPSSA Primary Girls Netball Championship in Coffs Harbour this August – an exciting and well-deserved achievement! A huge congratulations to both Bowie and Evie for representing Avalon Public School with such pride and determination.

Well done to Luka Dixon from 5TH for his outstanding performance at the recent NSW Under 11s Rugby League tournament. Representing Sydney North, Luka displayed incredible versatility by playing a range of positions — many of which he hadn’t trained for — and did so with confidence and commitment. His adaptability and strong team-first attitude were widely recognised and applauded throughout the tournament. Although Sydney North fell just short in the grand final against a strong Sydney West side, Luka’s efforts were a standout. Congratulations, Luka!

A huge congratulations to Lucy Turner from 6JS, who has been selected for the NSW AFL team! Lucy’s team put on an outstanding performance in the grand final, with all players showing great determination and strength. Although Mid North pulled ahead in the final quarter, it was an exciting match that showcased the girls' impressive skills. Lucy played a key role in the midfield across three big games on the day — an incredible effort! Well done, Lucy!

Regards, 

Corey Whitaker
Sports Coordinator
Sydney North Touch Football Convener

Year 6 PD/H/PE

Students have been learning about CPR  in class over the past few weeks. 

This valuable life skill has been able to be facilitated thanks to the Avalon Surf Life Saving Club, who have generously allowed the school to utilise its resources. 

Mr Seaton 

Community