Heights Happenings
Winston Heights PS - Term 3, Week 10 2022
Principal's Message
WHPS OPEN DAY
Open classrooms, library book donations, the art show and class photo slideshow, community morning tea, extra-curricular showcase, photo opportunities and more ... WHPS was buzzing with excitement this week as we welcomed the community into our school for the first time in many years.
Thank you to our supportive parents for coming to our Open Day and for your morning tea contributions; and thank you to our P&C for organising the community morning tea.
Thank you to our dedicated staff and proud students for showcasing the amazing teaching, learning and extra-curricular opportunities that we offer at WHPS every day.
Thank you for being part of this very special day!
FACEBOOK - CHECK US OUT!
To celebrate the wonderful joy and excitement of our Open Day, we have shared some photos on our Winston Heights PS Facebook page.
Our official WHPS Facebook page will be used to share reminders, updates and photos from school events.
On facebook - search for ‘Winston Heights PS’ to like and follow our page.
While you’re checking out our WHPS Facebook page, I would highly recommend visiting the P&C Facebook page. Search for ‘Winston Heights Public School P&C Association’ to like and follow their page.
WHPS FACEBOOK RULES FOR ENGAGEMENT
Facebook rules of engagement:
In joining our community on Facebook, Winston Heights Public School follows the Department of Education Code of Conduct and Facebook’s Community Standards.
Students
Facebook Terms and Conditions state no one under the age of 13 years should have a Facebook profile. Therefore, any comments or page fans from primary students on the Winston Heights Public School page will be removed and, if warranted, users will be reported.
Tagging or naming student photos
Photos of students can only be published if the correct Department of Education permission to publish forms have been completed by the student’s parent or guardian. The photo must be removed after one year of publishing unless further permission from the parent is sought. For privacy and protection, please do not tag photos of children, and please do not name them in your comments, unless the previously mentioned permission is sought. On rare occasions and with parental permission, students may be named by the school Facebook administration team. Tagging of parents or friends within the comment box is permitted with the understanding that all other rules of engagement are followed.
Comments
Winston Heights Public School encourages interaction from participants with the understanding that the school does not endorse comments or wall postings made by visitors to the page. We ask that visitors making comments on the page show respect for other users by ensuring discussions remain civil. Personal attacks, trolling or spam will not be tolerated.
We reserve the right to remove comments that do not adhere to the rules of engagement of the page and Facebook’s community standards including comments that:
■ are deemed racist, sexist, abusive, profane, violent, obscene, spam
■ advocate illegal activity
■ are wildly off-topic
■ libel, incite, threaten or make personal character attacks on Winston Heights Public School students, employees, guests or other individuals.
We reserve the right to remove any participant that does not adhere to the rules of engagement or Facebook’s Community Standards. Remember, your name and photo will be seen next to your comment, visible to all visitors to the page. We will not permit messages selling products or promoting commercial, political or other ventures.
Moderation Hours
This page is moderated from 9am to 3pm on weekdays.
HILLS PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION
Last week our school hosted the finals of the Hills Public Speaking Competition. I was most impressed with the courage and confidence demonstrated by the Stage 1, 2 and 3 school representative speakers on this day. Congratulations to Lachlan, Hailey, Matilda and Oscar who represented Winston Heights PS - I am very proud of you!
LOCKDOWN AND EVACUATION DRILLS
As part of our Health and Safety processes, we recently conducted a lockdown drill and an evacuation drill. I would like to commend all students and staff for remaining calm and following our WHPS emergency plans successfully.
SCHOOL ORGANISATION FOR 2023
Our school has begun the complex process of organising school and class structures for 2023.
In order to ensure that the needs of students are met, parents and carers are invited to forward information that you believe should be considered in regards to the formation of classes for next year. Requests can include information regarding medical conditions, student wellbeing, requests to have particular children separated and/or any other aspect that you feel may have an impact on your child’s learning.
Parents are asked to forward requests to the Principal, Mrs Bullock, in writing no later than Monday 7 November to ensure that your request can be considered when classes are formed by teachers and the executive team.
Please note that consideration for placement with specific teachers and/or students are unable to be considered due to the complexity of class and school organisation. Whilst we make every effort to accommodate requests, this is not always possible due to the complex nature of forming classes.
ARE YOU LEAVING WHPS AT THE END OF THE YEAR?
To assist with school planning and classes for 2023, it is essential to know the anticipated number of student enrolments for next year. The number of classes we are able to form is directly related to the number of students we have enrolled at our school on the first day of Term 1 2023.
If your child is currently in Kindergarten to Year 5 and will NOT be returning to Winston Heights PS at the beginning of 2023, could you please complete the form included in the News from the Office section of this newsletter.
KINDERGARTEN ENROLMENT FOR 2023
We are now accepting in area Kindergarten enrolments for 2023.
Please contact our admin team through the school email for assistance with the online enrolment process for your child for 2023.
SWOOPING MAGPIES
Every year around this time, our resident nesting magpies become defensive of their territory around the school oval and hill area. People walking past may be seen as 'invaders' of the territory, prompting the magpies to fly low and fast over the person, clacking their beaks as they pass overhead. Consequently, we have had to close the oval and hill play areas over the past few weeks due to swooping magpies.
I have been in contact with Parramatta Council to report the swooping magpies and request strategies to avoid being swooped.
As magpies are a native species, we are unable to have them relocated. Rather we are encouraged to try to following tactics:
- Travel in groups, as swooping birds usually only target individuals.
- Wear a hat and sunglasses or hold a school bag or umbrella over your head.
- Carry an open umbrella above your head.
- If you ride a bike, walk it through magpie territory or have a flag on the back of the bike that is higher than your head.
- ‘Spike up’ your bike helmet with a few cable ties to scare magpies away.
- Do not act aggressively. If you wave your arms about or shout, the magpies will see you as a threat to the nest – and not just this year, but for up to five years to come.
- Don’t fight back. Throwing sticks at a magpie will only make it more defensive next time.
- Walk, don’t run.
- Avoid making eye contact with the birds.
- If you know of an area that has swooping magpies, put a sign up to warn passers-by.
- Never approach a young magpie that’s out of the nest. The parents may think you’re trying to harm it. Rescuing baby magpies is best left for wildlife rescue groups to carry out after dark.
A few reminders:
- Students return to school for the start of Term 4 on Monday 10 October
- Students wear their summer uniform from the start of Term 4
- Please ensure your child's uniform (jumper, jacket, hats), lunchbox, and drink bottles are clearly marked with their name.
After such a jam-packed and exciting term, I'm sure we are all looking forward to a little downtime during the holidays.
Please stay safe and take care - I look forward to seeing everyone at the beginning of Term 4.
Terri Bullock
Principal
What's happening in WHET club
Winston Writing Festival
Congratulations to all students from Kindergarten to Year 6 for participating in our first Winston Writing Festival. The school was buzzing with children talking about our mystery garden which was set up outside the school office. Students then had the challenge to write a piece of writing using the mystery garden as a stimulus.
CONGRATULATIONS to the following class finalists:
KE - Scarlet and Oliver
KT - Marianna and Ila
1N - Paarth and Lara
1V - Renan and Lucas
1/2 K - Kai and Emily
2G - Jackson and Ruby
2S - Annie
3L - Stella and Liam
3B - Estelle and Anisha
4N - Emma and Renit
4O - Hannah and Edward
5/6B - Levi and Alex
5/6L - Beth and Leroy
5/6N - Elin and Lachlan
5/6P - Rheaand Lara
CONGRATULATIONS to our winners from each year group:
Kindergarten - Ila
Year 1 - Lara
Year 2 - Ruby
Year 3 - Anisha
Year 4 - Hannah
Stage 3: 5/6 - Alex and Levi
We have shared snippets of the year winners writing below. We are so proud of all the students.
Ila KT
One dark and spooky night in a magical garden, a friendly dragon saved a blue egg from the black and cranky owl. The owl found the egg and threw it in the drain and put on a disguise so the owl wouldn’t get in trouble. So after a few days, the egg hatched so when the cranky gnome said “go away”, he said it to the dragon because the owl got a sign saying “rescue”.
Lara 1V
In a wonderful land far, far away, there lived a dragon and her name was Grace! She did not like her job; she LOVED it! Every day, she woke with excitement! Her job was delivering dragon eggs to other species that want them but cannot because they are not a dragon! She picked them up and delivered them to owls, birds and every other type of bird. She even went overseas! She went into gloomy caves and forests! But, she lived in a boring old cave. She had hay for her bed and a snuggle buddy named Rollie. If she was scared, she would squeeze him very tight and would curl up in a little ball! Would she be alright? Yes she would be. She was brave, strong and fit so she could carry heavy eggs! Some were fire and some were ice dragons! She never dropped any.
Ruby - Year 2
One time there was a little boy and girl named Elli and Elliot. Once Eisi and Elliot came across a magic garden there was caution tape all around it. As they slipped through the tape, they saw a magic garden. It was filled with fairies, fairy lights and dragons. They were filled with excitement; “It is so extraordinary” said Elli.
“And magical” said Elliot.
They slept there the whole night but in the morning something horrible, horrifying, destructive and mysterious happened. The ground started to shake and sink a huge black hole appeared. All the fairies and dragons got sucked in. Eili and Elliot immediately started looking for clues to stop it. Then they saw the numbers on the bricks. The numbers were 18945. So they clicked their fingers once, then eight times, then nine times, then four times, then five. Everything stopped. Silence filled the room and then Elli and Elliot cheered with joy. All the fairies and dragons flew back. Elli and Elliot skipped home and told their parents all about it.
Anisha 3B
Enchanting Meadow
One ordinary, warm, sunny morning, I woke up from my bed and gazed at my meadow. My best friend was Sofia. I knew that every day it was an adventure for me. I had a quote on my door that said: “Magic always makes miracles and adventures”. I smiled. I went to the bathroom and combed my very dark hair that looked like a graceful, brown pony’s hair. My sister is Joy who is 16 , and was cooking french toast. I was the first one to eat it and the moment I ate it was delicious. It was topped with tropical berries and soft, whipped cream. The taste of the fabulous food made a sweet, tangy taste altogether. Mum was looking on her phone like she was rummaging through a strange box, and dad was watching the news. I finished my food and went outside with Joy to our huge meadow. I went to Sofia’s house. She came outside with her dark, coffee coloured hair swaying in the wind. She wore a t-shirt that said, “Be Adventurous”. She had a skirt with bright lilac flowers spotted on with a pretty navy blue as it’s background. It moved gently in the cool breeze. The three girls skipped loudly to the meadow.
Usually, when the three girls reached the meadow, the view was breathtaking. The flowers looked like glittering, shimmering sparkles dotted on lush, green, fresh lawn. THe air was misty but transparent. The trees were flourished with colourful flowers, with every possible colour you can imagine. When you stand alongside the bright flowers, it smells like tropical fruits. But, when the three girls saw the garden, the saw …. Something very unusual! They saw a gnome with a bright red hat as bright as the London buses. It held a sign that said: “GO AWAY!” In the trees, there was a blue dragon holding a purple egg. They also saw a mysterious hole surrounded with tiny yellow fairy lights. They stepped into the hole and ….WHOOSH!!!!.....they landed in a magical kingdom! A dragon came and said to follow a quest. THe dragon was a bright orange and gold and amber designs surrounding the eyes in unique swirling patterns. Its wings were a fiery orange and were as thin as paper. THe dragon told the quest and the three girls set off. THey were supposed to find a magic apple. The dragon gave the girls two clear jars to put the magical, special ingredients. The dragon warned them:
“Be careful of the trolls. They lurk in the water, and if you are close, they might steal one of your magical ingredients or it will vanish! The apple, I mean magical apple is that it controls life. For example, the kind gnomes have turned mean” the dragon said.
They set off for their adventure. The first ingredient they had to find was a sea donkey’s tear. That means they had to go underwater.
“I don’t even have my swimsuit!” groaned Sofia.
“I’m sure we would dry off soon” replied Anisha.
So, they went underwater. The lake was shimmering like a shining sapphire. Immediately, they found a daddy sea donkey swimming its frys to their school. They introduced themselves to the sea donkey dad before telling a joke:
“I love telling jokes” said Anisha “can I tell you a joke?” So, she told the joke. It was: “Why did the witches lose the baseball games? Because their bats flew away!” The sea donkey immediately burst into laughter like a balloon popping. They saw a sky blue tear running down the rough grey skin. Joy quickly caught the tears just as the sea donkey was beaming. She gave it to Anisha. She had a bag with two jsars. She popped it in the clear jar. Suddenly….WHOOSH! What had just happened! It was all blurry in the three girls minds. It looked like dirty fingerprints smudged by a baby on a delicious glass of juice. The tear dropped and it was gone. “Trolls!” said the three girls in a worried unison. Luckily the sea donkey was not far away. They went and grasped the last tear. “Phew,” sighed Sofia. They climbed out of the water and travelled to their next destination. THey had to find a rainbow bird’s egg. They found a hollow nest with amber-coloured straws decorated neatly. THey found the multi-coloured bird sat peacefully. THey climbed one by one. Again, they introduced themselves quickly.
“Can we please have an egg?” asked Joy.
“Why?” the colourful bird asked.
Meanwhile, Sofia was gazing at a glittering gold coloured egg sparkling in the sun. Joy replied; “Have you heard that every magical creature is turning to a different kind of habit?”
“No” said the magical bird.
“We have two magical ingredients. THe two magical ingredients are a sea donkey’s tear and our last one is one of your glittering eggs” Joy informed the bird.
“Can we take this golden egg, please?” asked Sofia, still admiring at the wonderful egg.
“Um, no” muttered the bird.
“This one?” asked Sofic.
“Uhh, no” mumbled the bird.
They kept asking to have an egg, but still the answer was no. Finally, the bird said, “You can have this egg”.
The egg had a few sparks of gold glitter.
“Um, sure” replied Anisha. She gave the egg and just as she was going to put it in the bag…..”Where did it go?” Sofia was shocked. “All of our hard work” Anisha checked in her bag. “Our tear is gone too!” she said disappointed.
“What?” shouted Joy, confused. They went to sit on a nearby bench. It was a maroon coloured, wooden bench. “Lets go and tell that golden dragon. So the three girls went to the start of their journey. But slowly, the sea donkey and the rainbow bird followed them. WHen the three girls reached where they met the dragon, the dragon was reading a book. She felt so relaxed. “Hello girls” the dragon said calmly. But when the dragon spotted their disappointed faces, she asked; “What happened to you?”
“Our ingredients have vanished”, Sofia mumbled. But the dragon saw the sea donkey and the rainbow bird creeping up to them. The dragon winked at them. As the dragon was about to say something, the sea donkey and the rainbow bird shouted ….. “Boo!”.
“What” shouted the three girls, amazed and completely shocked. They took a moment to realise.
“What are you doing here?!” said Sofia, speechless.
“We saw what happened so we decided to help” replied the two magical creatures, smiling. THe rainbow bird held the exact same egg with a few sparks of shiny bronze glitter dotted on random parts on the egg. The sea donkey was holding his tear.
“Thank you everyone’ said the girls.
“Thank you for helping the kingdom!” replied the dragon thankfully “I will put you back to your kingdom”.
When they reached back, everyone shouted, “Hooray!”
Hannah 4O
The Home of the Bees
In a world full of children, in a world full of adults, in a world full of secrets, in a world full of magic….there was a forbidden garden on a school ground. There was caution tape all over the garden areas and no children dared to go in. But, in that garden were bees, lots of bees. That’s where our story starts.
On a sunny morning, a bee named Pella was exiting her petal home with a massive grin. Pella always came out like this, she was a very kind-hearted caring bee. She took a stroll on the path and said hi to the grumpy, ungrateful gnome that was always on the lookout for any mischief. As Pella said hello, she looked over the precious eggs in the middle all the way to the fairies secret meeting drain.
Pella had walked away from the gnome to the cute, friendly owl. “Hello” Pella chirpily waved at the owl. The owl hooted and fell back asleep. Suddenly, Pella’s friend, Briana came running up to her; “Pella! Britney…coming…run!” she panted. Pella and Briana were about to start running but got held back by Britney who was chasing them.
“You think you can run from me!?” Britney started raging, “well, you can’t!” Pella and Briana started trembling with fear. Eventually Britney just walked away.
“That was close!” Pella shivered with relief.
Pella and Briana said good-bye then headed home. The next day…..Bang! Boom! Sizzle! Crack! Pella was alarmed! What happened? Pella rushed outside to find dragons breathing fire.
Dragons were gliding, destroying homes! Bees were swerving through the air, avoiding being hit by fire. Fairies were using their magic, the gnome was pinching the dragons but they were too strong. One of the smooth, green eggs had fallen out of the nest!
The owl spotted a dragon trying to grab it with it’s claws but swooped in and rescued it! Everyone was fighting, protecting what was theirs. The garden had been turned into a battlefield!
In a continuous fighting time, the dragons had lost and retreated. When everyone calmed down, they looked around and saw that everything was wrecked. Pella stepped up on a rock and said, “this can be our new beginning! Everybody get to work!”
Pella exited her new home and looked at the forbidden garden. Everything was two times better than before and our forbidden garden was never touched again.
Two students came walking past the garden saying:
“Magical creatures aren’t real”.
“Yes they are!”
“Not”
They walked away. Little do they know what happened in that mythical, magical, forbidden garden.
Alex 5/6B
Tears welled in owl’s eyes,
Gnome wouldn’t wake up today,
He lay cold and still.
Dragon was confused,
Why wouldn’t Gnome talk today?
Rain pelted Gnomes kids.
The plants were quiet,
Swaying grimly in the wind,
Dew dotting the leaves.
Dragon’s eggs tested,
Bound to their quiet, little nests,
Unable to move.
Owl felt the eggs’ grief.
He contemplated his life,
Gnome lay cold and still.
In a deep, dark cave,
Lights danced in the frightful gloom,
Eyes watched in the dark.
Gnome was so quiet,
So, so quiet in the rain,
Trapped, a hollow shell.
Levi 5/6B
The Mystery Garden
As the rain subsides, beneath lies the beauty, the story can shine.
Not just a beauty, pain starts to show itself, take a glance and see staring in your soul, a gnome forever banished, bearing a warning.
Deeper you shall go, the invisible wounds show, though neither dead nor alive, deeply saddening.
No one shall be spared from fierce dragons to angels, the garden shall claim. The garden a grave, claiming them one by one, the garden a grim all trapped forever. Keep looking you shall, wounds don’t lie with the gnome alone, others are with him.
All sorts share trauma, ones that are desperate to leave, failed attempts to show. An owl armed with help, all rejoice but not for long.
Now just a victim.
Oh so noble acts, yet just a waste, the garden just grows, silence, speaks volumes.
Diary Dates
TERM DATES 2022
Term 4 - Monday 10th October to Monday 19th December 2022
TERM DATES for STUDENTS - 2023
Term 1 - Tuesday 31 January to Thursday 6 April 2023
Term 2 - Tuesday 25 April to Friday 30 June 2023
Term 3 - Tuesday 18 July to Friday 22 September 2023
Term 4 - Monday 9 October to Monday 18 December 2023
Please note: 27 January, 30 January, 24 April, 17 July, 19 December 2023 are staff development days. These days are for staff-only.
Please note the following diary dates may be subject to change.
Further information will be sent home closer to the event being held.
Term 4 - 2022
Mon 10th - Students Return - Term 4
Tues 11th - Multisport Skipping (every Tuesday for Term 4)
Thur 13th - Assembly K-2
Thur 13th - Interrelate Parent Information Night
Mon 17th - Band Information Night
Tue 18th-Wed 19th - Stage 2 Camp Yarraumundi
Wed 19th - Band Committee Meeting TBC
Thur 20th - Assembly 3-6
Tue 25th - Sports/special group photos
Wed 26th - Kindergarten 2023 Orientation
Thur 27th - Assembly K-2
Fri 28th - World Teachers Day
November 2022
Wed 2nd - Kindergarten 2023 Orientation
Thur 3rd - Assembly 3-6
Thur 3rd - Interrelate - Year 5&6
Wed 9th - Kindergarten 2023 Orientation
Thur 10th - Interrelate Year 5 & 6
Thur 10th - Assembly K-2
Thur 17th - Interrelate Years 5 & 6
Thur 17th - Assembly 3-6
Thur 24th - Year 6 Fundraiser - Mini Fair
Mon 28th - Keyboard Presentation Night
Tue 29th - Year 6 to year 7 High School Orientation Day
December 2022
Thur 1st - Assembly 3-6
Mon 5th - Year 6 Graduation Assembly
Mon 5th - Year 6 Farewell
Wed 7th - Combined Scripture
Wed 7th - Band Presentation Night
Thur 8th - Assembly K-2
Fri 9th - P&C Class Party & Mufti Day
Fri 9th - P&C Xmas Raffle
Mon 12th - K-2 Presentation Day
Mon 12th - 3-6 Presentation Day
Tues 13th - Winston's Beary Christmas Carols Evening
Mon 19th - Last Day of Term 4 for Students
From the Office
*Late Return to School in 2023: Later in this newsletter is a note to complete if your child will not be returning to school on Tuesday 31 January due to an extended holiday or if they will be changing schools and not returning to Winston Heights at all. If your child/ren will be returning on Tuesday 31 January or are in Year 6 this year there is no need to complete the form.
* Students Return: All students will return to begin Term 4 on Monday 10 October wearing their full summer uniform.
Permission Notes and Money Due:
Spare copies of permission notes are available in the office foyer.
- Annual Fees - OVERDUE
- MultiSport Term 4 Skipping Program - Due by Monday 10 October
- Year 5 & 6 Interrelate Program - Due by Monday 24 October
Office Hours 8.30am - 3.15pm
Mrs Carolyn Leverton, Mrs Rachael Calvar, Miss Rosie Griffin
Now taking enrolments for Kindy 2023
Orientation dates for Kindergarten 2023 have been set. Please ensure you complete an enrolment form as soon as possible to avoid missing out.
Contact the office for more information
or ENROL NOW online.
Well done to these PBL Award winners who have been Safe, Respectful & Responsible Learners:
Week 9 - Awarded to:
KT :
1N :Zander, Lillian & Khaleesi
1V :Lucas, Abaigeal, Neev & Renan
1/2K :Ronia, Ellie, Euan & Harpah
2G :Denton, CJ, Myrah & Shams
2S:Tegan, Adam & Damon
Library: KE, KT, 1/2K, 1N, 1V, 2G, 2S
Mrs Hall: Payton
RFF K-2: