Guildford West Public School

The year has ended. This year we celebrate achievement, growth, and the incredible journey our students have embarked upon throughout the year.

To our students, I want to begin by saying how proud I am of each and every one of you. Your hard work, determination, and resilience have truly shone through this year. Whether you are receiving an award today or simply reflecting on your achievements, remember that every effort you put in has helped you grow, not just academically, but personally as well. Each of you brings unique talents and qualities that contribute to the vibrant tapestry of our school community.

As Guildford West does, we always try to make our learning authentic and meaningful, you may have noticed our classes this year are all named after towns in NSW, some who have significant impact in our history. Places like Corowa, the birthplace of Federation, or Parkes which played an historical role in televising the landing on the moon, or local places we visit regularly like Katoomba.

I also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge our dedicated teachers and staff members. Your passion for education and your commitment to nurturing our students' potential is evident every day. You create engaging learning experiences, support our students through challenges, and celebrate their successes. Thank you for your relentless dedication and care. You are making a profound difference in the lives of our students.

To our parents and carers, thank you for your unwavering support. Your involvement in your children’s education is invaluable. You have provided encouragement at home, participated in school activities, and collaborated with our teachers to ensure your children thrive. Together, we form a community of support that is essential for the success of our students.

As we reflect on the past year, we can celebrate not only the individual achievements but also the collective growth of our school community. We have embraced new initiatives, engaged in professional learning, and worked together to create a supportive and enriching environment for our students.

Looking ahead, let us continue to foster a culture of curiosity, respect, and collaboration. We will build on our successes, learn from our challenges, and strive to create an even more inclusive and engaging learning environment. In the next few years we see significant additions to our school, an Opportunity Class will be established at our school from 2026, delivering high potential and gifted education, in high-quality offerings,. The class will be open to 15 students for Year 5 entry each year, starting in Term 1 2026.

Then in 2027 a beautiful brand new preschool opening, providing the opportunity to all of our children to access prior to school learning. These additional classes will join our already diverse range, so that we have at GWPS provision for students in our area the full range of educational classes,

Together, we will ensure that our students are not only well-prepared academically but also equipped with the social and emotional skills they need to navigate the world beyond our school.

I have the great pleasure each year to celebrate and congratulate each of the award winners for their achievements. As you know there are only a few award winners, but that is not to say that everyone in this room has not tried hard and improved in some area this year, whether that be in writing, reading, sport, the playground, being fair, looking after others or just trying hard in everything you do.

In closing, I encourage all our students to continue to dream big and work hard. Your journey is just beginning, and I am excited to see where it will take you. Remember, every step you take, no matter how small, is a step toward your future.

Thank you all for being here today to celebrate our students’ achievements. Let us cherish this moment and look forward to another year of growth and success.

Congratulations to all our award recipients, and may we continue to inspire one another in the years to come.

I would like to conclude by thanking each and every one of the staff here at Guildford West. As every year, we do have some staff who will be moving on to other schools or taking leave for exciting reasons such as having babies and we wish them all the best for their new adventure. We hope you all have a very safe and restful break and we look forward to the new year ahead.

I would like to wish all our families a safe holiday, and we look forward to a new 2025.

A special shout out to Mariam who recently competed at the National Athletics Carnival. She tried her best and finished 4th in Australia with a huge personal best throw. We are so proud of her, what an incredible achievement!

Well done to all students in the Support Unit for all your hard work in 2024. It has been a year of so much growth and we are so proud of you all.

This term, Kindergarten also went on an adventure. We focused on going outdoors for our Walker Learning Investigations. Students used magnifying glasses to see insects, collected rocks to create artworks and used measuring tapes to find the distance between items around us. In Science and Technology, we also used our knowledge of facts about animals and places around us to create a house for a wombat, sharing our different ideas and designs.

To end this wonderful year, Kindergarten students performed the dance, ‘Walk the Dinosaur’, on stage. Our brave learners wore their dinosaur costumes with pride and stood in front of the crowd to give an incredible performance.

Great work Kindergarten! We can’t wait to see you again next year, all ready to learn and join us in Year 1!

S3 Menindee students visited the Sydney Observatory to meet their pen pals, with whom they’ve been corresponding throughout the year. They participated in a variety of collaborative games and received a special tour of the observatory. The day concluded with complimentary snacks and beverages. A heartfelt thank you to the ARDOCH team and their volunteers for organising such a wonderful experience!

Learning through Lunches

Some of our Stage 3 students and teachers visited Ultimo TAFE to learn about a career in hospitality and enjoy a delicious meal! Thank you to Ardoch for providing this opportunity for our students.

Incursions

This term, students have enjoyed visits from our local police Youth Liaison Officer and Bully Zero where they learnt about the importance of respectful relationships, how to be an upstander and how to appropriately handle conflict. After these sessions, there have also been follow-up lessons in class on these topics. We encourage you to speak to your children about what they have learnt this term on these topics.

Gymnastics

This term, our wonderful gymnastics teacher, Miss Nicole, has been working with selected students from grades 3 to 6, as well as those in the support unit, to impart fantastic gymnastics skills. Through her engaging lessons, students have learned essential techniques such as balance, coordination, and flexibility.

Miss Nicole's positive and encouraging approach has not only helped enhance the students' physical abilities but has also fostered teamwork and confidence among them. Each session has been filled with excitement as students practice various routines, from simple floor exercises to more complex apparatus work. The progress they have made under her guidance is truly impressive, and it’s inspiring to see how much joy gymnastics brings to all the participants.

Year 6 High Tea

Our Year 6 students celebrated the end of primary school with a high tea with their families and friends. It was lovely to see so many families attend and share memories of the students’ time together in primary school. The students worked hard to prepare all the food for the high tea, which everyone enjoyed eating.

Press Gang Excursions

Taronga Zoo

What a fantastic opportunity for the students to visit Taronga Zoo! Meeting a keeper and a bilby, along with touring the wildlife hospital, provided a unique learning experience. 3 girls from 3-6 showcased their curiosity and engagement by asking insightful questions throughout the visit. This kind of hands-on experience fosters a deeper understanding of wildlife conservation and the important work being done at the zoo.

Press Gang Day

Five GWPS students represented our school at The School News Project’s Press Gang Day. They worked with 50 other students who also are Press Gang members at their school. It was lovely to see them meeting and collaborating with other students from all across Sydney on a variety of challenges aimed at building their reporting skills.

Cooking

3-6 classes have been engaged in a special project, crafting secret presents for their wonderful families. The students have thoroughly enjoyed developing their culinary skills this year, creating delicious recipes along the way. They are eagerly anticipating the opportunity to continue this initiative next year!

Dance Concert

This term our students were busy learning a dance with our Footsteps Dance teacher Miss Danielle. Each week students built on their skills to participate in a wonderful showcase of their learning. It was fantastic to get dressed up and perform for our families at our end of year concert.

Leaders 2025

This year, our Year 5 students bravely began their journey to leadership for 2025. We started with 14 candidates who showed the executive team why they would be great leaders. Thank you to all who participated!

From those 14, 10 were selected for interviews with Ms Todesco, Ms. Giles, and our 2024 school captains, Zaya and Mya. We appreciate everyone's efforts.

Of the 10, six candidates delivered speeches on why they should be school captain. After the speeches, the students had the chance to vote. Thank you to the two brave candidates who tried their best, even though they didn’t secure a position. We are proud of all your hard work!

Congratulations to our 2025 leadership team:

Captains: Amelia and Hakan.

Vice Captains: Hayden and Beren.

On Track Day

As a reward for positive behaviour throughout this year, students enjoyed a fun-filled On Track day! This year activities included a ride, carnival games, teacher vs student games, a gaming van, snow cones, a disco and a movie. Everyone had a great day and we already can’t wait for next year!

Parents and carers of Year 3 students can apply now for opportunity class placement in 2026.

Applications for 2026 entry into an opportunity class (OC) or selective high school are now open and close on 21 February 2025 (Week 3, Eastern division and Week 2, Western division).

We need your help to ensure that parents and carers of Year 3 students know that OC applications are open now and encourage them to apply as soon as possible.

To help with messaging, promotional resources have been created for you - including newsletter templates, social media tiles and ‘Intention to apply’ forms. These can be accessed at Inside the department – promotional material for SHS and OC.

New opportunity class at Doonside Public School / Guildford West Public School from 2026.

An opportunity class will be established at our school from 2026. The class will be open to 15 students for Year 5 entry each year, starting in Term 1 2026.

Applications for 2026 entry are open from 7 November 2024 until 21 February 2025.

Parents and carers can now apply for OC placement when their child is at the end of Year 3 or at the start of Year 4. Parents now have up to 4 school choices when applying for opportunity class placement.

You can change your school choices after you submit your application. The last day to change school choices for 2026 placement is 18 May 2025.

What are the benefits of opportunity classes?

Opportunity classes help high potential and gifted students to learn by grouping them with students of similar ability and using specialised evidence-based teaching methods.

These settings aim to meet the intellectual needs of the students by moving through curricula at a faster pace and allowing students to explore concepts in more depth.

All public schools support high potential and gifted students through implementation of the High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) Policy.

Visit the Department of Education website for more information on opportunity classes.

Email: guildfordw-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Website: www.guildfordw-p.schools.nsw.edu.au
Location: 23-51 Palmer Street, Guildford West NSW, Australia
Phone: (02) 9632-9942
Facebook: guildfordwestps