31 July 2025
Principal
Dear Parents and Carers,
What a cold and wet start to the term! However, our spirits are far from dampened, and we are already up and running for what is going to be a very exciting term for all of us. Without further ado, let me get into the key details you need to be aware of.
Term Dates
Term 3 will conclude on Friday 26 September.
Term 4 commences on Tuesday 14 October and concludes on Friday 19 December.
Open Classrooms/Donate A Book/Picnic Lunch
We are excited to remind you that during Book Week is in Week 5 and we will be offering two new opportunities for our students and parent/carer community:
Tuesday 19 August: this will be our traditional Book Character Costume Day. However, this year, ALL classes will parade north from school, in costume, along the west side of Old Barrenjoey Road down to the crossing at Avalon Parade. We will then cross over and return to school on the eastern side of Old Barrenjoey Road, re-entering via the main gate at the front of the school.
This provides a wonderful opportunity for our entire Avalon community to see our students. Parents and carers are invited to line the streets to support our students as they parade. Time: 10.50am-11.20am
On the afternoon of Thursday 21 August parents, carers and family members are invited to visit their child’s class from 2.05pm and look through schoolwork, chat causally with the teacher, and mingle with other families.
In addition, on the same day, Donate A Book in the library will be open before school and from lunch time onwards so parents and students can browse, select and buy a book for the library.
To make the event even more enjoyable, parents, carers and family members are welcome to join their child for a picnic lunch in the playground from 1.10pm onwards.
Avalon in Wonderland – save these dates!
The production is well and truly underway for our K-6 musical production entitled ‘Avalon in Wonderland’. A veritable fairy tale and classic children’s stories mash up!
The key dates are as follows:
Cast 1: KAS/KSW, Years 2, 4 and 6: Wednesday 17 Sept 1.30pm and 5.30pm
Thursday 18 Sept 1.30pm and 5.30pm
Cast 2: KJP/KKR, Years 1, 3 and 5: Wednesday 24 Sept 1.30pm and 5.30pm
Thursday 25 Sept 1.30pm and 5.30pm
Dance groups and the choir will be part of both casts
Please save the dates in your calendar. If you know your child will be away on their performance dates, please inform your child’s teacher. This is particularly important for students in years 5 and 6 who will have key roles to play in these shows.
Tickets: the shows will be ticketed and you will be able to select your seats online. With four shows scheduled for each cast in the main hall, we are confident that there will be enough for all key family members to attend one show.
Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday 20 August. Full details within the next two weeks.
Semester invoices
Semester accounts will be emailed Wednesday 6 August and are due by Friday 22 August.
If you have any queries about your account, please don’t hesitate to contact our School Business Manager, Mrs Kylie Jarrett. If you are experiencing financial difficulties, please don’t hesitate to contact me in complete confidence.
NAPLAN Results
Individual Student Reports for students who undertook NAPLAN Assessments were mailed to parents last Thursday. For your awareness, individual student performance is shown on a national achievement scale for each assessment. This scale indicates whether the student is meeting expectations for the literacy and numeracy skills needed to participate fully in that year level. Since 2023, the results are classified into one of four proficiency levels: Exceeding, Strong, Developing and Needs Additional Support. Please contact the school if you need further information or clarification.
Athletics Carnival
Next Wednesday, we are holding our 3-6 Athletics Carnival at the Sydney Academy of Sport. The event is still impacted by the closure of the artificial running track for lengthy and on-going repairs.
Detailed information has already been shared with you by Mrs Shlager so I urge you to read it if you haven’t already done so, as the track events will be held on a grass track a short walk from the main stadium and will require frequent movement of students to and from the stadium area.
Students need to be transported to and from the Academy by parents or carers, as bus costs were quoted at $50 per student! We are hearing how well the Avalon community is adapting and pulling together to offer shared rides to and from the event on what is a mandatory school day (all students in years 3-6 are expected to attend the carnival. There will be no supervision at school for students in those grades as all teachers are at the carnival).
Thank you so much for your great support and understanding – we truly appreciate how inconvenient and challenging this may be for some families given transport and venue circumstances that are completely beyond our control.
With the weather forecast looking good, our students and parent audience are in for an exciting day of track and field – let’s give the Olympic Games a run for their money!
Enrolments for 2026/staffing matters
We are now enrolling for Kindy 2026 and I urge you to enrol promptly this term, as in late September we will be issuing invitations for our Term 4 Kindy Transition program.
This year, it’s particularly important for us to confirm enrolments in ALL grades for 2026 as student numbers directly impact our staffing.
At the end of the year, we will farewell around 105 Year 6 students but we anticipate welcoming only around 80 Kindy students. This net loss of up to 45 students will translate into the loss of two classroom teacher positions and possibly three teachers if students leave in other grades.
This drop in student numbers is being experienced in almost all schools across the Northern Beaches, as families move out of the city to find cheaper and/or different lifestyle options, often in quieter, more affordable rural and coastal areas.
If you know that you will be leaving Avalon at the end of the year, please let us know by emailing the school at avalon-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au Conversely, if you know your child will be attending Avalon but is not yet enrolled, we look forward to hearing from you this term.
Please see our website for details or call our office on 9973 1439 and ask for our Enrolment Officers, the amazing Mrs Cathy Crutcher or Mrs Jodi Newton.
P&C meeting
Our next P&C meeting will take place in the school library at 7pm on Monday 18 August (Week 5). Everyone is welcome!
100 Days of Kindergarten
Last week, Kindy students and staff celebrated 100n days of Kindergarten in what was a wonderful day of dress-up fun. I think the picture speak for themselves. Well done, Kindy students and teachers – you’re awesome!
Staffing Update
Mrs Weber will be taking leave for the duration of this term. Mrs Lovett will relieve as Deputy Principal for 3-6 on Mon-Thursday and Mrs Shlager will relieve in the role each Friday.
Sickness
The school is being impacted by the seasonal arrival of flu and bad colds. We are experiencing increasing numbers of student illness, along with several teachers and staff sick on any given day.
Our community can best support us by following all the flu guidelines and by keeping children home if they show the slightest signs or symptoms.
Early drop off/Late pick up
A reminder that students should not be dropped off in to the playground before 8.55am, as teachers are not on supervision duty until that time.
Similarly, students are not supervised after school at 3.25pm and are expected to go directly home unless collected by a parent or relative. Students not collected by 3.35pm will be taken to the office and a phone call made to parents/carers. If you are running late (which happens to us all from time to time), please call the office to let them know.
If you need to drop off early, or pick up late on a regular basis, please make use of our Out Of School Hours Care, provided by the P&C.
Students playing in any area of the school after 3.25pm should be under the direct supervision of a parent or guardian. We thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation in keeping all our students safe.
Finally, I wish you all a happy and successful term at Avalon Public School – the finest of its kind on the Northern Beaches!
Andy Rankin
Principal
Positive Behaviour for Learning
Respect – Responsibility – Personal Best
This fortnight at Avalon Public School, we are shining a spotlight on Living Our School Values as part of our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) approach. Our core values — Respect, Responsibility, and Personal Best help guide how we learn, play, and grow together every day.
Across classrooms, students are engaging in lessons and discussions about what these values look like, sound like, and feel like in different situations. Through real-life scenarios and group tasks, students are developing a deeper understanding of how their choices and behaviours reflect these values.
Here's a quick reminder of what we’re focusing on:
- Respect – using kind words, listening actively, allowing others to learn, and following instructions.
- Responsibility – owning our actions, taking care of property, and setting a positive example for others.
- Personal Best – trying hard, learning from challenges, and keeping a positive attitude.
Students will also be working together to create posters that promote these values in the playground and classroom.
We’re proud of the way our students are embracing our school expectations, and we’ll be handing out PBL tokens to recognise and celebrate those who are living our school values each day.
Thank you for supporting this important focus at home and helping reinforce these positive behaviours in our school community.
Supporting regular school attendance
Attending school every day allows your child to get the most out of their learning and improve their career and life options.
Regular school attendance can help expand your child’s learning and create positive relationships with their peers.
If you require support in getting your child ready and motivated for school, please reach out to us.
Read more about the benefits of regular attendance on the
Sustainability Stars
We are excited to acknowledge and celebrate our wonderful Year 3 bin monitors for their incredible commitment to sustainability at our school. Their efforts play a vital role in not only maintaining our environment but also in teaching our younger students about responsible waste management.
During the first half of lunch, these dedicated Year 3 students have started a routine to help our K-2 children navigate the recycling process. With four designated bins to choose from, the bin monitors guide their peers on where to place their waste:
- Earn and Return Containers: When students return containers eligible for a 10-cent refund, the school benefits directly from their efforts.
- Paper Lunch Bags: By ensuring the stickers are removed, the paper lunch bags find their way to being recycled.
- Food Scraps: These bins are for compostable waste, which helps us reduce our overall rubbish and supports our Garden Club.
- General Rubbish: The less we put in this bin the better!
The bin monitor role is shared among the Year 3 classes, allowing many of our students to take part in this important responsibility. It’s wonderful to see their enthusiasm and teamwork as they encourage their younger friends to make eco-friendly choices.
Thank you, Year 3 bin monitors, for your hard work and dedication to sustainability.
Samantha Bateson
Assistant Principal
Library
In Week 5 (Mon 18 – Friday 22 Aug) students and staff at APS will celebrate Book Week. The theme for CBCA Book Week 2025 is Book an Adventure. Throughout Book Week students will take taking part in a variety of activities linked to books: reading, writing, listening, viewing, expressing, and responding to stories.
The 2025 Children's Book Week theme: Book an Adventure invites readers of all ages to embark on thrilling journeys across lands, time, and memories through the magic of books, exploring different worlds, ideas, and characters.The theme emphasizes that every book is a journey, whether it's exploring new lands, solving mysteries, or stepping into the shoes of a daring protagonist.
Throughout the week students will be taking part in a variety of activities in class and throughout the school. Some events to take place throughout the week include:
* Tuesday 19 August is Book Character Costume Day: an opportunity for the staff and students to dress in costume as a favourite, adventurous or interesting book character. Teachers along with students have shared ideas about costumes and creative ways to construct their costumes, and some class teacher will pass this information home. Should more details be needed please contact your child’s teacher. It will be a magnificent day where our Avalon students and staff disappear, and the school is full of colourful book characters! We ask students and staff to bring a gold coin donation to raise funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. These funds will assist in providing quality reading materials and resources to Indigenous children in remote communities across Australia.
* Wednesday 20 August, Stage 2 incursion with illustrator Tom Jellett. Students from Grades 3 and 4 will have the opportunity to hear illustrator Tom Jellett present a talk about his experiences as an illustrator and the process of making picture books. This will take place in the hall. Details to parents/carers were sent home end of Term 2 in School Bytes.
* Thursday 21 August: Buy 2 Donate a Book. Open Day will provide opportunities for students and their families to visit the library to Buy 2 Donate a Book. A variety of amazing books will be available for sale to donate to our library collection. Students, families, and staff are encouraged to visit the library to purchase a book from the many for sale to donate to the school library’s collection. Buying times before school: 8.15am-9.25am and from lunchtime (during the Open Day times) 1.10pm – 4.00pm.
Premier’s Reading Challenge 2025
Just a reminder to all students participating in the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge 2025, the closing date is coming soon. The closing date for participants to enter their reading log details is Friday 22 August 2025, end of Week 5. Students can logon to the Premier’s Reading Challenge site for more details.
Garden Club
Garden Club is back, who can believe that we are in term 3 already?
From Sunny days to freezing 'feels like sleet' kind of weather, it certainly is fickle at the moment. Garden Club has had visits from preschoolers, we've had Kindy and Grade three in, we're getting ready for spring plantings. We've been making paper pots, sowing seeds and harvesting Turmeric and Ginger. We have alot planned for classes this term and we are also getting ready for the school open day on the 21st of August. We will have more gardening news to share over the next few weeks.
Keep on Growing
Fiona and Sue
Garden Club
Canteen
New Freeze Dried Fruit: Rompst. This company has been created by the van Donk Family, ((Holly (6JS) and Luke (3/4MD)).
Rompst was created out of frustration with so-called 'healthy' snacks loaded with artificial ingredients, preservatives, and misleading packaging. We knew there had to be a better way, so we set out to change the game.
Their mission? Creating snacks that look and taste like the fun stuff, while you feel great knowing it’s all good. “We work hard to lock in all the natural nutrients, so kids get the goodness their bodies need, in flavours they’ll actually love. Every Rompst snack is made with real, wholesome ingredients. No nasties, no preservatives and nothing artificial. Just genuinely good food, packed with the nutrients kids need to grow, play, and thrive”. All Rompst products are approved by NSW Health as ‘Everyday’ food to sell in school
Product: Strawberry Meltdown Description: Freeze dried mouth-melting bites made with real strawberries and non-dairy oat yoghurt only
Product: Mango Meltdown Description: Freeze dried mouth-melting bites made with real mango and non-dairy oat yoghurt only
Product: Mango Krunch Description: Freeze dried 100% pure mango
Product: Apple Krunch Description: Freeze dried 100% pure apple
Term 3 Specials:
Monday:
Rice Paper Rolls (Chicken or Tuna) $6
Beef Burrito $6
Chicken & Nut Free Pesto Pasta $6
Tuesday:
Honey Soy Miso Chicken Noodles $6
Chicken & Nut Free Pesto Pasta $6
Wednesday:
Beef Burrito $6
Honey Soy Miso Chicken Noodles $6
Butter Chicken $6
Thursday:
Honey Soy Miso Chicken Noodles $6
Butter Chicken $6
Chicken & Nut Free Pesto Pasta $6
Friday:
Beef Burrito $6
Honey Soy Miso Chicken Noodles $6
Butter Chicken $6
Chicken & Nut Free Pesto Pasta $6
Waffle Wednesday… each Wednesday morning 9-9.25am. $3.
No Cash, no worries, Orders can be placed online via Spriggy under the IOU Tab, just have your child mention their online order at the counter when they come to pick up their Waffle
A HUGE THANK YOU!
We really appreciate our Volunteers on a Friday. So, a big THANK YOU to everyone that has helped us out, much appreciated.
Uniform Store News
Uniform Store opening hours:
Monday 8am-10am
Thursday 2.30pm-4pm
Orders can be placed online and will be delivered on Mondays and Fridays to your Child’s Classroom.
Any Urgent Uniform requests, (ie Hat replacements), please come to the Canteen.
Strings
Avalon Strings wowed Infants week 9 of last term playing in the cola on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon. This week Primary students have the wonderful opportunity to hear our students on stage in the newly refurbished hall.
Advanced students have a 5 week countdown until gracing the most famous stage in our country- the Sydney opera house concert stage hall! Tuesday September 9 6:30pm they will performing in the Festival of Instrumental Music mimosa concert three pieces titled "The Generals Order" an ancient Chinese piece, "Bushwacker Stomp" composed by Keith Sharp and "Elvenwood"an arrangement by an Australian composer on The Lord of the Rings. So a regular practice routine is paramount to work on any difficult passages and for memorisation.
Strings have an all inclusive welcome policy for any age at any stage during the year to join our fabulous program. For enquiries please contact Emma Wake on 0417 455 598.
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