From the Principal
Dear Parents,
This week I had the privilege of stepping into the role of acting principal while Joe was away at the CSA NSW Principals retreat. As mentioned this morning in Chapel, one of the highlights of the week was getting to visit the different classrooms and seeing the amazing things that our students are learning and doing. We are truly blessed to have each student in our school. Each one brings something so unique and special and we value them as individuals and their giftings greatly. It was also wonderful to see our teachers working with their students to provide intentional and creative lessons and learning experiences.
At the beginning of the year during our staff professional development week we spoke a lot about what great teaching and learning looks like and how we can implement this into our classrooms. As part of my Deputy Principal role, I am continuously looking at the ways we teach and what we teach to ensure our students are not only being taught to a high standard but are also being equipped with all the necessary skills to be lifelong learners. I view the education of our students as a brick wall and each year we add new knowledge and skills to this wall. Our aim as educators is to ensure that when the students leave us in Year 6 they have built a strong foundation and wall of learning and knowledge. I look forward to continuing to grow with our students and partnering with you as their parents on this education journey. It is a role I don’t take lightly and see as an absolute privilege.
I have very much enjoyed my time this week as acting principal and want to thank you as our school community for your support and encouragement as I did so. It will be great to have Joe back next week and I am excited to see what he brings back to HPCS after the retreat, in saying that please feel free to contact me any time by emailing me at mrsdavila@hpcs.nsw.edu.au.
NAPLAN:
Information regarding the upcoming NAPLAN test will be sent out to Year 3 and 5 parents in the next week. There will also be more details in the newsletters. I urge you to please make sure your child is present on these days, as this is a very important testing milestone during primary school.
Late arrivals:
A kind reminder to all parents and caregivers to please report at the front office if your child arrives after 09:10am. We want to ensure that the correct attendances are captured on the roll.
Thank you:
I would like to sincerely thank all the parents who have been volunteering their time each week with our Stage 1 and Stage 2 Reading Groups. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful parent community.
Many blessings,
Jade Davila
Lunch Orders
Our Term 1 Lunch Orders are open! Thank you again to Georgette and her team for providing this service to our school community.
Lunch orders will take place every second Friday for Term 1, starting Friday the 9th of February 2024.
Please see below the menu and associated links for you to order lunches.
8 March: Ham, Cheese and Tomato Sandwich with a small Fruit Cup, with or without a drink (Click here)
22 March: Hamburger with Tomato sauce, Lettuce and Tomato, with or without a drink (Click here)
5 April: Chicken Pasta Salad with Peas, Corn, Carrots and Mayo, with or without a drink (Click here)
A reminder our orders close on Thursdays at 11am.
If you have any questions, please email or speak with Mrs Jordaan (pa@hpcs.nsw.edu.au).
Our 2024 Student Leaders.
Each week we will introduce one of our four sets of captains:
- School captains
- Vice school captains
- Christian Service captains
- Co-curricular captains
This week we are pleased to introduce our two Co-Curricular Captains: Aiden Christian and Nomuna Tserentogtokh. We asked them a few questions and these were their answers:
Question 1: What would you do with $1000?
– I would give 10% to the church. The remaining money I would buy some collectors Lego and invest the rest.
Question 2: What is something that makes you laugh?
– My big brother makes me laugh a lot. My friends from school and church makes me laugh too.
Question 3: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
– Teleportation. I can get wherever I want to in seconds.
Question 4: What is one thing you would like to do at school in your leadership role?
– I would like to teach the students how to play sports as a team and enjoy playing while learning a game. I would like to start different sport leagues for the whole school to get involved in, to build love and unity in our school.
Question 1: What would you do with $1000?
– I would donate the money to different charities.
Question 2: What is something that makes you laugh?
– Playing with the younger students makes me laugh.
Question 3: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
– I would like healing powers, so I can heal everything.
Question 4: What is one thing you would like to do at school in your leadership role?
– I would like to use my role to help students draw closer to God.
NAPLAN 2024
NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) is just around the corner for our Year 3 and 5 students in Weeks 7 and 8 of this term. This nationwide assessment takes place annually to gauge each child’s proficiency in essential skills such as reading, writing, language conventions and numeracy.
It is designed to provide valuable insights into your child’s academic progress and allows us to tailor our teaching methods to meet the unique needs of every student. It is not a pass or fail test but rather an opportunity for growth and development.
We encourage parents to support their children during this period with a calm and positive attitude. Remind them that NAPLAN is just one way we assess learning, and their efforts contribute to the continuous improvement of our educational practices.
If you have any questions or concerns about NAPLAN, please contact your child’s teacher or Mr. Britton. Together, we can ensure a positive and empowering testing experience for our students.
A healthy lunchbox recipe the kids will actually eat.
Zucchini Slice Muffins
05m prep
15m cook
10 servings
6 Ingredients:
80ml (1/3 cup) Coles extra virgin olive oil
200g sweet potato, peeled, coarsely grated
2 medium zucchini (about 300g), trimmed, coarsely grated
150g (1 cup) self-raising flour
5 eggs, lightly whisked
100g (1 cup) Perfect Italiano Perfect Bakes cheese (cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan)
3 Steps:
Step 1 – Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the sweet potato and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened. Transfer to a large bowl.
Step 2 – Add the zucchini, flour, egg, cheese and remaining oil. Season well and stir to combine.
Step 3 – Preheat the pie maker. Fill the pie maker holes with sweet potato mixture. Close and cook for 8 minutes or until set. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Serve warm or cold.
Send us photos of you preparing your muffins or of them in your lunch box and we will place them in next week’s newsletter.
Students of the Week
Congratulations to the following students for receiving Merit Awards this week:
Kindergarten – S
Scripture-Rae L. for consistently striving to do her best!
Luan D.A. for participating in class activities!
Kindergarten – G
Ethan K. for trying his best in handwriting.
Theo S. for participating well in class learning.
Year 1
Eliza K. for excellent word building skills
Levi S. for fantastic friends of ten knowledge
Year 2
Bradley D. for great and creative ideas when creating his narrative.
Alexis S. for making great contributions during history class.
Year 3
Henrique B. for writing an engaging narrative using action verbs and adjectives.
Mia E-A. for using adjectives to describe characters in writing.
Cruz E. for being a kind friend in the classroom and playground.
Year 4
Joshua D. for his dedication in always showing kindness.
Aya K. for settling in to class routines well.
Olivia G. for consistently showing excellence in her school work.
Year 5
Elijah I. for an outstanding effort in Maths, in creating a board game.
Amelia M. for constructing fantastic sentences based on our focus text “The Wild Robot”
Maria Luiza G. R for showing impressive teamwork skills in Drama!
Year 6
Patrick M. for demonstrating a great drive to do his class work well.
Enzo B. D. O. for his calm, thoughtful and diligent approach towards class tasks.
Pen licenses:
Neriah P.
Isabella G.
Willow S.
Benji R.
Bryan S.
Patrick O.
Gustavo O.
Mason M.
Save the Dates: Upcoming Dates
8 March: Year 2 Chapel
15 March: Kindergarten S Chapel
22 March: Kindergarten G Chapel
28 March: Easter Chapel
28 March: Easter Hat parade
5 April: Year 6 Chapel
12 April: Year 5 Chapel
12 April: End of term 1