News

Acknowledgement of Country Workshop

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 15:30:27 AEDT

Acknowledgment of Country Workshop

Coronavirus - Department of Education statement

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 19:13:14 AEDT

The department is working with the Ministry of Health to monitor and respond to the unfolding international novel coronavirus situation.

Get up-to-date information about the department's response to novel coronavirus.

#Ready2020 – a great year starts here

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 13:44:33 AEDT

Starting school is a big moment in a child’s life. Here’s how to make the most of it.

We can’t wait for you to join us for a great year – the first step towards a lifelong love of learning.

Visit the department’s primary school resources for hints, tips and checklists to make a great start to the new school year, whether your child is starting Kindergarten or Year 6.

You’ll find:

Getting ready for primary school booklet – everything you need to be #Ready2020
Daisy’s First Day – the story of Daisy the koala’s first adventure at Kindergarten
advice from teachers – they’ve been through this before.

Video – #Ready2020: First day of Kindy

Duration – 1:00

Staying healthy into the new school year

Fri, 20 Dec 2019 17:14:40 AEDT

Immunisation is a simple, safe and effective way to protect your family from harmful diseases this holiday season and into 2020. Visit your doctor for general health and vaccination advice.

Immunisation not only protects you and your family but also others in your community, by reducing the spread of preventable diseases.

Children starting school in 2020 must have up-to-date immunisations to enrol.

These vaccinations help protect children from highly infectious and severe diseases including whooping cough and measles.

Travel health

If you’re travelling overseas during the school holidays, you may need vaccinations or medication – both for general health protection and for region-specific diseases.

If you’re travelling to the Northern Hemisphere, you may even need a flu shot.

Find out more about staying healthy while travelling.

Drama Performances

Thu, 19 Dec 2019 12:05:51 AEDT

Drama performances 2019

December 2019 @ WHPS

Fri, 29 Nov 2019 10:56:03 AEDT

December is looking merry and bright at WHPS!

See the flyer for more details..

Remembrance Day 2019 at WHPS

Fri, 15 Nov 2019 12:30:57 AEDT

A special Remembrance Day assembly was held at school on Monday 13 November to commemorate the soldiers who died in wars around the world. The assembly was seamlessly run by Year 5 Students: Lewis G, Erin H, Ewan M, Isla A, Tyson B and Isaac P. K-6 students listened respectfully while Erin W and Lennox C read very moving personal accounts from two residents at the War Vets in Collaroy Plateau – thank you to Helen Johnstone for recording these precious memories. The Last Post and the Reveille were played beautifully by Hayden W. Staff were very proud of the respectful behaviour of all students during this solemn assembly. Thank you to the parents who attended.

NSW schools respond to bushfires

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 17:28:25 AEDT

Many schools are responding to the catastrophic fire rating that is affecting communities across the state this week.

We are continuously updating the School safety page with a list of government and non-government schools, as well as TAFE NSW campuses that are currently non-operational.

While some schools are temporarily non-operational due to localised fires, many others in high-risk areas are non-operational as a precautionary measure.

Schools in some areas are being used as emergency evacuation centres at the direction of the Rural Fire Service.

For schools that are currently operational, school pickups and dropoffs will continue as usual. If your school is currently non-operational, it will likely remain so tomorrow.

Large scale distressing events affect our school communities in many ways. Headspace’s mental health support resource (PDF 100.52KB) is available to help students, teachers and school staff respond to the bushfires.

Visit the School safety page for updates. The department’s Facebook and Twitter accounts will also provide updates during this period.

Year 2 Swimming and Water Safety Program

Thu, 07 Nov 2019 16:10:21 AEDT

YEAR 2 SWIMMING AND WATER SAFETY PROGRAM

Year 2 students are currently participating in a ten day swimming program at the Andrew Boy Charlton Swim Centre at Manly. This valuable program improves students’ swimming ability, increases student knowledge of water safety and teaches important water survival skills.

Grab a ticket to Schools Spectacular 2019

Tue, 22 Oct 2019 19:07:50 AEDT

Will you be joining us at Schools Spectacular 2019? Tickets are on sale now. Experience our live show featuring a cast of thousands of public school students from across metropolitan, rural and remote regions of NSW.

Students from different ages, cultures and backgrounds will share the spotlight as they dance, play and sing for you. Choose from one of our four massive performances at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday 22 November and Saturday 23 November.

This year's events will feature:

more than 380 schools
5,500 performers
a 3000-strong choir
2,300 dancers
an 80-piece symphony orchestra
a world-class stage band.

Group bookings

Need to make a group booking for over 10 people? Complete the Schools Preview Order Form 2019 (PDF 110KB) to attend the discounted 11am Friday matinee. The Friday matinee is discounted for school students and accompanying teachers.

If you’d like to grab a spot at one of the other three remaining shows complete the Group Booking Form 2019 (PDF 110KB).

Tickets for you and your family and friends

Save you and your family a spot online or by phone on 132 849.

Video – Schools Spectacular 2019

Duration: 0:26

SRC News - PJ Mufti Day for Stewart House

Thu, 03 Oct 2019 11:15:47 AEST

On Monday 16 September, teachers and students enjoyed wearing their pyjamas to raise funds for Stewart House. There were lots of superhero pj’s, onesies, comfortable flannelettes and teachers masquerading as bananas in pyjamas as everyone got in the spirit of pyjama day. As a special treat, students were also able to order unicorn popcorn on the day. We raised an impressive $590.00 for this important charity.

Thank you to our school community for your support of this very worthy charity.

WHPS DanceSport Competition 2019

Thu, 19 Sep 2019 14:55:22 AEST

On Monday in Week 8, 40 students accompanied Mr Strozer and Mrs Sullivan to the Dancesport Gala Night at Homebush. The audience of nearly 2000 supporters were enthralled by a sea of colour when all 850 students were twirling on the dance floor at the same time. It was truly an amazing sight!

Eight couples (2 couples per dance) represented WHPS in the competition part of the night. We were thrilled when another couple, Josh S and Charlie W, were awarded a wildcard by the judges to also represent us in the jive. As the table below shows, many of our couples made it into the semi-finals of their dances. Congratulations to Lennox C and Erica S who came 8^th in the Tango.

WHPS Year 6 Debating team

Thu, 19 Sep 2019 14:53:53 AEST

On Thursday in Week 8, the WHPS Year 6 Debating team competed in the finals for our zone in the NSW Premier’s Debating Challenge. Unfortunately, they lost to Elanora Heights Public School. Imogen L, Josie J, Alanah C, Malie G and CJ W should be commended for making it so far in their first year of debating. We are very proud of them and hope that they continue debating in high school.

Have your say on before and after school care

Fri, 13 Sep 2019 13:40:50 AEST

We want to better understand your needs for before and after school care in NSW.

Have your say today on before and after school care.

Fill out the survey by Service NSW to share your specific care needs and to register interest to stay informed of new developments.

Your input will provide insights into where there are gaps in service availability and help us to deliver extra places where they are needed.

You can also contact the team responsible for rolling out the before and after school care commitment at BASCreform@det.nsw.edu.au.

Book yourself in for Reading Hour

Thu, 12 Sep 2019 11:27:07 AEST

This Australian Reading Hour, encourage your child to discover or rekindle their love of a good book. Take the time to learn, escape and relax on Thursday 19 September and read for one hour.

Get involved at home

Join in at home and read your child a bedtime story. Studies show that reading a bedtime story six days a week can give kids almost a year’s head start when they begin school. Reading has also been shown to develop empathy, promote critical thinking and help children find a sense of self.

Join in from the classroom

Bestselling children’s author and illustrator Matt Stanton will broadcast live to primary school children across the country from the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday 17 September. We invite schools to register for the livestream of this free event.

Stanton’s author talk is among more than 140 events happening across the country involving more than 50 authors.

Take the Book Swap Challenge

We all have favourite books that we come back to again and again.

To help celebrate Reading Hour take our Book Swap Challenge. We want students, teachers, staff and parents to try reading something new on the day. To get involved, simply pair up with someone and swap your favourite books.

Take a photo and tag it with #ReadingHour so we can see how you got involved.

Video – #ReadingHour authors talk about their favourite place to read

Duration: 0:38

Looking for a good spot to open a book? We asked authors Benjamin Law, Morris Gleitzman, Jacqueline Harvey and Mick Elliott about their favourite place to read.

How to be smart and safe on social media

Thu, 05 Sep 2019 11:48:54 AEST

Use our new Digital Citizenship toolkit to empower your child to understand how their online behaviour affects themselves and others.

You and your child can find information on:

how to ‘be positive’ by understanding online behaviour and its effect
'be smart’ by thinking critically and being digitally aware
'be safe’ by protecting your security, privacy and wellbeing.

A toolkit to empower you and your child

You can find articles and videos to equip and empower your child to minimise the risks and maximise the opportunities in our digital future.

We’ve partnered with leading researchers to produce a curated toolkit – aligned to the curriculum – which teachers and you can share with the young people in your lives.

Guide your child through important concepts such as:

managing privacy settings in social media
collaborating online
avoiding scams and hoaxes
understanding the law when it comes to online speech
Internet banking, shopping online and much more.

Keep your child safe and happy online

Visit and bookmark the Digital Citizenship website. We’ll continue to add articles and resources to ensure the best possible tools are available to help you guide your child to be positive, smart and safe online.

PCS Music Festival 2019

Sat, 17 Aug 2019 18:26:35 AEST

Music Festival 2019 was another overwhelming success! In August, 45 students from Years 2-6 performed at Pittwater High School in this year’s Music Festival - Kaleidoscope! Performing were the Years 2 & 3 Wheeler Wailers in the combined schools choir of 140 students from 6 different public schools. The Year 2 Dance Group, with Ms Rolfe’s excellent choreography, lit up the stage as their pleasure of performing sparkled in their eyes. With the Signing Choir comprising of children from Years 3-6, in collaboration with the students from Fisher Road SSP, brought the show home in the big finale. I may be biased but the combined choir that night was the best sounding choir of all the shows I’ve been involved with over the last 11 years. Our Dance Group looked like they had the most fun and the Signing Choir got the biggest cheer of the night. We can’t wait to do it all again next year and we hope to see you there.

Trish McCombie Artistic Director - PCS Music Festival

Education Week – Every student, every voice

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 14:14:45 AEST

We are celebrating our students and their powerful voices this Education Week Monday 5 August to Friday 9 August. Every year Education Week celebrates the achievements of public schools, our students and the value of public education.

This year, the theme is Every student, every voice.

Join us for #EdWeek19 as we celebrate our students and their power to shape the world.

Video – #EdWeek19 – Every student, every voice

Duration: 0:34

Wheeler Heights Snowsports Team

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 12:54:32 AEST

The Interschool Snowsports Competition for the Northern region was held at Perisher during the holidays. Wheeler Heights sent a team of children from Year 1 to Year 6 to compete in races. It was a great week with terrific snow. The children were well behaved, showed great sportsmanship but most of all had an amazing time skiing and boarding with their friends.

WHPS Year 5 students Canberra Excursion

Wed, 10 Jul 2019 13:28:14 AEST

WHPS Year 5 and Year 6 travelled to Canberra in Week 10. It was a very busy and exciting week with the new Parliament being sworn in on Tuesday 3 July.

You may have seen our Year 5 students in yesterday’s Sydney Morning Herald pictured with the Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

PCS ABORIGINAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE – “VOICE. TREATY. TRUTH” ART EXHIBITION

Fri, 28 Jun 2019 16:25:09 AEST

WHPS had a large representation of students, parents, families and staff at the opening ceremony of the Peninsula Community of Schools ‘Voice. Treaty. Truth’ Art Exhibition on Thursday 20 June 2019. This was truly lovely to see. Mr Scotter spoke on behalf of our school and the PCS. Each year a message stick and Aboriginal Artwork is presented to the school who will host the sleep out event. This year, that is Bilgola Plateau Public School. Isaac and Dominic P presented the message stick and artwork to students of BPPS. There were also many WHPS students in attendance with their families to view the work they had created at school. All students were wonderful representatives of our school and there has been a great deal of positive feedback from the community.

SRC Mufti Day to support Fight On The Beaches

Thu, 27 Jun 2019 22:05:48 AEST

'Fight on the Beaches' Mufti Day

On Wednesday 26 June, our school was visited by Santa and lots of special elves and helpers as students dressed in Christmas theme clothing or wore red and green to raise money for cancer research.

Thank you for your support of this very worthy cause. We raised $591.60.

Creative and Active Kids vouchers now available

Fri, 14 Jun 2019 11:43:33 AEST

Creative kids can now put a $100 voucher towards extra-curricular creative activities outside of school.

Together with Active Kids, this program aims to encourage more NSW children to participate in a range of extra-curricular activities such as coding, languages, circus, performing arts and visual arts.

Parents can apply for one $100 voucher for each child enrolled in school on the Creative Kids website and use it towards the cost of registration, participation or tuition. You just redeem the voucher with a registered provider in your area when making your payment.

This is a great opportunity for your child to become involved in a range of activities that will build on their education, growth and development.

Service NSW is working with industry bodies to deliver the program.

For more information, contact Service NSW on 137 788 or creativekids@service.nsw.gov.au.

Special Dance Groups

Thu, 06 Jun 2019 11:47:27 AEST

Last Sunday June 2^nd, our Junior and Senior dance groups participated in the Extreme Eisteddfod at Abbotsleigh School. These two groups performed against a number of other schools and did our school extremely proud with superb performances. The Junior group did particularly well and received first place! Congratulations to the Junior dance group and Miss Tahlia for an outstanding outcome!

The Game Changer Challenge is back

Fri, 31 May 2019 12:28:06 AEST

It’s not too late to become a Game Changer with applications for the Education Week challenge due by 7 June.

The Game Changer Challenge brings 16 teams from public schools across NSW – eight from primary and eight from secondary – to Sydney during Education Week in August for a three-day, intensive design-thinking workshop.

The Game Changer workshops, which start on Tuesday 6 August, includes teacher training in the use of design thinking as a teaching methodology and its application for school planning.

It also includes a team competition where schools will work under the guidance of experts from industry and academia to develop a solution to this year’s critical question: How might we humanise technology?

Department of Education Secretary Mark Scott has encouraged students and teachers to get behind the event as it highlights the critical thinking students will need to develop to succeed in the future.

“The Game Changer Challenge is an exciting initiative that helps educate and inform our students and teachers on how to integrate the problem-solving methodology of design thinking into the classroom,” Mr Scott says.

“It embraces the 21^st century skills our students will need to thrive in a globalised world such as collaboration, creative thinking and communication.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our students at all levels to be involved in discussing and addressing a real-world issue that will affect their future lives. I encourage every school to get involved.”

The challenge is designed to make strong learning and teaching connections to the NSW syllabus specifically in the area of developing general capabilities such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, communication and problem-solving.

The challenge also provides teachers with an opportunity to gain exposure to the design thinking process and includes teacher resources to introduce this creative problem-solving methodology into the classroom.

Finalists will be selected based on a 60-second video that showcases your team’s vision around the question of humanising technology.

For more information email edweek@det.nsw.edu.au or visit the Game Changer Challenge page.

Mother's Day at WHPS

Sun, 02 Jun 2019 20:41:08 AEST

P&C Event - Celebrating Mother's Day at WHPS

Yummy treats and warming hot beverages were a lovely start to the Mother's Day Breakfast in Week 3. Students and mums enjoyed spending a morning together at this special yearly event run by the hardworking P&C.

Your NAPLAN questions answered

Thu, 09 May 2019 15:25:25 AEST

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The tests assess the foundational skills in reading, writing, spelling and numeracy that are essential for every child to progress through school and life.

This year NAPLAN takes place between 14 and 16 May for paper tests and between 14 and 24 May for schools participating in NAPLAN Online.

NAPLAN data is used to help monitor student progress over time against a national measure and to identify areas of strength and improvement. It is used in combination with other school assessments to guide and support student learning.

Watch students ask an expert the tough questions about NAPLAN.

Video – Kids ask the hard questions

Duration – 3:45

Wheeler Heights Shakespeare Carnival

Sun, 02 Jun 2019 20:27:08 AEST

Wheeler Heights Shakespeare Carnival

Wednesday 1 May saw the very first Wheeler Heights Shakespeare Carnival. A select group of Stage 3 children performed selected scenes from a range of Shakespeare plays. The scenes were in their original language. The students spent time learning their lines and rehearsing their scenes for the final performance. All the students involved did an amazing job and were a credit to themselves.

Apply now for My Community Project funding

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 15:15:15 AEST

Do you have a great idea to improve your area?

My Community Project is a new NSW Government funding program that is all about local ideas, local projects and local decisions.

You can apply now for grants from $20,000 - $200,000 for projects that will make a difference to your community. Projects could include new playground equipment, sports facilities, paths or ramps to improve access, public art or a community service.

The local community can vote for their favourite projects in July and successful projects will be announced in September.

Project applications close 15 May 2019.

Apply for My Community Project funding

School Photographic Workshop

Sun, 02 Jun 2019 20:48:38 AEST

School Photographic Workshop

As part of its patronage of the arts, the Moran Arts Foundation provides up to 100 free photographic workshops to schools around Australia each year. The Moran Arts Foundation is a philanthropic, not-for-profit organisation whose objective is to support the arts in Australia through the Moran Prizes, Moran Galleries and School Photographic Workshops

YesterIn Term 1, 30 students from Stage 3 were lucky enough to attend a Moran Arts Foundation photographic workshop at Wheeler Heights Public School with local photographer, Sally Mayman.

Each student was given a digital camera to work with for the day and learnt basic photography skills along the theme of ‘Visual Storytelling’. They printed their favourite 5 shots of the day which were automatically entered into the Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize (student category).

All participating students thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be imaginative and creative through the art of photography and built valuable skills and confidence in the process.

Bring back memories, not measles

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 15:28:50 AEST

With school holidays just around the corner, it’s time to visit your doctor to check that you and your family are fully protected against measles, before you travel overseas.

Measles is a serious, highly contagious, viral illness that is easily spread through the air when an infectious person coughs, sneezes or breathes. If you and your family are not fully vaccinated, or have never been vaccinated, you are at risk of contracting measles.

Not sure if you’re fully protected?

In Australia, the measles vaccine (MMR) consists of 2 doses. If you’re not sure whether you’ve had 2 doses of the measles vaccine, visit your doctor. It’s safe to receive another dose.

Children born in Australia

If your children were born in Australia, they may have received the measles vaccine at 12 months old and the second dose at 18 months, in accordance with the National Immunisation Program.
If you have a baby under 12 months old, consult your doctor about getting their measles vaccination.

Adults born in Australia

Born before 1966 – you were most likely exposed to measles as a child and are generally considered to be immune. If in doubt, ask your GP.
Born between 1966 and 1994 – you may not have received 2 doses. Talk to your doctor about the free vaccine if you’re unsure.
Born after 1994 – the National Immunisation Program offers 2 doses, and you can check your vaccination status using the Australian Immunisation Register.

For more information about the measles vaccination, visit NSW Health or consult your local doctor.

Breakfast at Scotty's with the Principal

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 19:40:48 AEST

Breakfast at Scotty's with the Principal

Some happy students joined Mr Scotter for breakfast after winning the prize to do so at our annual Trivia Night fundraiser.

What a way to start the day!

Did you know our playground is open in the holidays?

Wed, 10 Apr 2019 16:11:54 AEST

We are excited to participate in the Share Our Space program when it returns these autumn school holidays. Participating public schools across regional and metro areas of the state will continue to open their playgrounds, ovals and sports courts for the whole community to enjoy.

You and your children can play in public schools all over NSW. Schools from Lord Howe Island Central School 600km off the east coast of mainland Australia all the way to Palinyewah Public School in the far west will share their outdoor facilities as part of the program.

Participating schools are open 7 days a week between 8am-6pm from 13 to 26 April 2019, including weekends and public holidays.

Come and visit our playground. For more information or to find another participating school near you, visit Share Our Space.

Chess Tournament

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 19:21:41 AEST

During Term 1, Mrs Sullivan had the pleasure of accompanying 5 students to the Northern Beaches Primary Schools Chess Challenge. The tournament was run by the NSW Junior Chess League and hosted by Mona Vale Public School. Edu B, Hayden W, Callum H, Leo R and Sonny T won most of their games against other schools and gained a lot of experience along the way. Well done boys! You were wonderful representatives for WHPS. Thanks to the parents who attended and supported our players.

Harmony Day 2019

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 19:34:07 AEST

Everyone Belongs Harmony Day 2019

WOW! What a fantastic and colourful Harmony Day we enjoyed towards the end of Term 1 organised by Miss Earl and the SRC.

Students from K-6 created their own Harmony Day hand reflecting their cultural heritage. They looked terrific displayed in our school hall.

All money raised on the day is used to support our World Vision sponsor child in Ethiopia. Thank you to all our families for supporting this event. An extra special THANK YOU to the amazing Sherene and Tracey in the canteen and all the fantastic volunteers who made and served a tasty array of special multicultural meals on the day. The food was delicious and the canteen has kindly donated the profits, to support World Vision. Congratulations everyone!

Halogen National Young Leaders Day

Sun, 02 Jun 2019 20:55:28 AEST

Halogen National Young Leaders Day

Our school captains, vice captains and Mrs Wright were privileged to attend the Halogen National Young Leaders Day in March at the International Convention Centre. They attended with student leaders from all schools within the PCS as well as many schools across the state. To say this was an inspirational day is a massive understatement. They were wowed by four keynote speakers – Tim Diamond (Cotton On Foundation), Tamsin Janu (Author), Cate Campbell (Swimmer and Olympic champion) and Holly Ferling (Australian Cricketer). Each speaker delivered a different message but all were extremely profound. Each of our leaders wrote a paragraph about one of the speakers to share their experiences with our school community. Please see the newsletter from Week 7 for more details.

Kobe, Chloe, Heath and Monique were incredible representatives of our school and will now be working to find ways to implement projects within the school using the leadership qualities they learnt throughout the day.

K-2 Water Fun Day

Sun, 02 Jun 2019 20:18:49 AEST

K-2 Water Fun Day at WHPS

5 road safety tips for parents and carers

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 13:44:58 AEDT

Now that students are back to school after a break it’s a good time to chat with your child about safe behaviours when you walk or commute to school.

Here are our top tips to help our students make a safe trip:

1. Be alert and aware

Take note of the dangers you come across on your walk and bring them to your child’s attention. Point out dangers, such as vehicles coming out of driveways. Talk to your child about being alert in a road environment.

2. Hold hands

When on the footpath, at a crossing or in a car park always hold your child's hand. It is advised to do this up to the age of at least 8 years old and closely supervise until at least the age of 10.

3. Choose a safe crossing

Lead by example and choose a safe place to cross the road. Explain why it is the safest place to cross.

4. Set a good example

Your child watches everything you do, so if you cross at the crossing they will too. It is also important to share these messages with other carers who may walk with your child to school.

5. Stop, Look, Listen, Think every time you cross the road

Discuss this important road safety message. STOP! one step back from the kerb. LOOK! continuously both ways. LISTEN! for the sounds of approaching traffic. THINK! whether it is safe to cross.

Practise makes perfect

The more supervised practice your child can get the better, so why not make Term 1 the start of a new routine to walk with your child to school more often.

Older children may be ready to make the journey to school independently. Before they take this step, observe if they are road safe and reinforce the road safety messages.

For more information, check out the department’s pedestrian safety advice for students, parents and carers.

Back to school

Fri, 25 Jan 2019 15:07:26 AEDT

The first day of Kindergarten and the return to school in the new year are busy times for your child – and for the entire family. To help you make the most of this time and enjoy the experience, we’ve compiled some useful tips and checklists. We want every student to be known, valued and cared for in our schools.

Our film #FirstDay2019 captures the excitement – and the nerves – of the rite of passage that is the first day of Kindergarten.

Video – Back to School 2019: First Day at Kindy

Duration – 1:00

Bee Hive Split

Tue, 04 Dec 2018 18:04:34 AEDT

Last week 1/2E and 2J enjoyed a special visit from Tim from the Coastal Environment Centre (26/11). The visit was to split the school’s native stingless bee hive. Australian native bees are black and at only 3-5 mm in size they are much smaller than the European honey bee. That means there are around 20,000 bees in the school hive!

Splitting the hive provided students with a close look at the beeswax cells and the resin that is inside a hive. The favourite part for many students was getting to taste the super sweet honey.

Mufti Day Fundraiser

Thu, 15 Nov 2018 15:31:00 AEDT

Yesterday the school held a special mufti day to support our farmers through the drought (14.11.2018). The students donated a fantastic $812.00 for Rural Aid which supports farmers by buying bales of hay to help feed livestock.

Remembrance Day

Thu, 15 Nov 2018 12:28:18 AEDT

A special K-6 Remembrance Day assembly was held at school on Monday (12.11.2018) to commemorate the soldiers who died in wars around the world. Year 5 ran the assembly seamlessly. The whole school is to be commended for their respectful manners during the service. Special mention to George who played a very moving rendition of The Last Post while Hayden W played the Reveille beautifully. A highlight of the service was hearing the personal accounts from two residents from the War Veterans Nursing Home in Collaroy Plateau being read by the students. Thank you to Helen Johnstone for recording these precious memories.

2019 school budget allocations

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 16:28:19 AEDT

Like all NSW public schools, this week we will receive a School Budget Allocation Report with our funding for 2019. The report will help us manage our total budget delivered through the Resource Allocation Model (RAM).

The RAM supports schools through needs-based funding to ensure a fair, efficient and transparent allocation of funds. Our school has the flexibility to make local decisions based on the specific needs of our students.

We will use our 2019 funding to support students and improve educational outcomes. The school executive will continue to work with the school community as we implement the school plan using this needs-based funding.

Learn more about the 2019 RAM funding.

School Disco

Mon, 29 Oct 2018 15:45:06 AEDT

Last week the hall was filled with students moving and grooving as they enjoyed the school disco (25/10/2018). First up was the K-2 student disco followed by the Year 3-6 disco. DJ Andy picked the tunes and all students had a fantastic time. Highlights were: the class dances, the fluro lights and the bubble machine. Thank you to the P&C for organising the disco and all the teachers who attended.

Healthy Harold Visit

Wed, 17 Oct 2018 14:43:37 AEDT

This week all K-2 classes enjoyed a fun and informative session with Healthy Harold and Gail a member of the Life Education staff.

The focus modules were:

Kindergarten – Harold’s Friend Ship
Year 1 and 2 – Safety Rules!

As part of these modules students focused on different topics including: qualities of a good friend, feelings and emotions, safe and unsafe situations, safe places, personal and physical safety and what to do in an emergency.

The Healthy Harold program is designed to empower students to make safer and better choices by developing their decision making and communication skills and teaching them about positive relationships. Parents can access addition information and resources from the Healthy Harold website. https://www.lifeeducation.org.au/parents/

Father's Day Breakfast

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:25 AEST

Last Friday the hall was filled with lucky dads, uncles, grandads and special guests for a special Father's Day Breakfast. Visitors enjoyed mouth-watering bacon and eggs rolls. After breakfast many dads enjoyed a game on the oval. Thank you to Sherene and her many dedicated helpers for making the breakfast such an outstanding success.

Book Week 2018

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:18 AEST

Students celebrated Book Week by dressing as their favourite book character: Harry Potter, the Kaboom Kid, The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, Pippi Longstocking, princesses, Paddington Bear, the world's worst children from David Walliam's books, Greg from Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox, Billy B Brown characters, Mr Men and Little Miss characters, Tiny Timmy and lots of sport characters. There were wonderful pirates, Thelma the Unicorn and even the Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly. Oh my!

Everyone looked amazing and thoroughly enjoyed the parade.

Book Week was extra special this year as many families created and painted their own book covers which are now displayed in our Library Lane.

K-2 students also enjoyed a special author visit by Aura Parker who read who wonderful book Twig.

Band Recruitment

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:17 AEST

It's recruitment time for our school's wonderful band program so this week the Jazz Band played a special concert for Year 2 students so they could gain a better understanding of each instrument (9.8.2018). The band played a range of jazz and rock songs which showcased the sounds of the different instruments including the; flute, saxophone, trombone, clarinet, French horn, drum, trumpet, keyboard and bass guitar. Students got to learn about the different instruments and how they make various sounds. Please refer to the band section of the newsletter or website for more information.

Litterbug Show

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:28 AEST

Students from Years 1-4 were recently entertained and informed by a performance of 'Lisa and the Litterbug' by Northern Beaches Council (22/6/2018). Students were educated on the importance of saying ‘NO!' to single use plastics and learnt what they could use instead of plastics. Students also had to estimate how long it takes for items to decompose. Students took a pledge to care for the environment and help reduce the use of single use plastics.

Term 2 PDHPE Activities

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:33 AEST

This term many students have been involved in yoga or athletic programs as part of the school's PDHPE program.

Kindergarten and Year 1 students were involved in yoga lessons. As part of these lessons students also focused on mindfulness and reviewed values such as honesty, resilience, respect, kindness and confidence.

Year 2 and 3 students were involved in athletics coaching as part of the Be Skilled Be Fit program. They had the opportunity to develop their jumping, throwing, catching and running skills by participating in various activities such as relay racing, shot put, discus throwing, high jump and long jump.

Walk to School Day

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:34 AEST

Last Friday was Walk Safely to School Day (18/5/2018). Thank you to the SRC students who enthusiastically manned the gates and handed out stickers to all students who walked to school or who walked part of their journey. Well done to all students and parents who participated.

Professor Maths Incursion

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:29 AEST

On Monday K-2 students enjoyed a fantastic incursion with Professor Maths (21/5/2018). It was a very informative and exciting visit with all students engaged in hands on learning activities that promoted their interest and enthusiasm for maths. Activities ranged from; number based activities, making 3D shapes, building objects, puzzle solving and creating patterns. Students worked in groups of four so needed to cooperate, communicate and work together to solve the activities. Students thoroughly enjoyed their learning and by the end of the session had morphed into Professors of Maths themselves.

Mother's Day Breakfast

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:28 AEST

Last Friday morning the school hall was filled with excited mums and children enjoying a very special Mother's Day breakfast (11/5/2018). Over 250 wonderful mums, grandmothers and caregivers attended and enjoyed a scrumptious buffet of scones, croissants, fruit and muffins.

Cross Country Carnival

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:21 AEST

Last Friday students from Year 2 to Year 6 participated enthusiastically in the Cross Country Carnival (4/5/2018). Congratulations to all who ran, jogged or walked in the Cross Country Carnival!

We are so lucky to have great facilities and grounds to accommodate the cross country at our school and the weather was definitely in our favour on the day. The top 6 in each age group are now in training for the Zone Cross Country on Friday 1st June.

ANZAC Day Ceremony

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:16 AEST

Last week the school held a special whole school ceremony to commemorate ANZAC Day (3/5/2018). The hall was decorated with amazing and poignant artworks from students from stage 2 and stage 3. Year 6 students did an outstanding job presenting musical tributes, poems and stories for the audience to reflect upon. After these touching activities Mr Scotter and the school captains laid wreaths under the flag. Year 6 students played the Last Post and Reveille before a minute of silence.

Easter Hat Parade

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:24 AEST

Last Thursday students from K-2 held their eggceptional Easter Hat Parade (29/3/2018)

Each grade paraded their amazing Easter Hat creations before singing a song for our visiting parents and grandfriends. The Easter Hat Parade is an extra special event for Kindergarten students who create their hats with their Year 6 buddies and also parade on the day with their buddies. After the parade parents and grandfriends visited students' classrooms to see the eggciting learning that is occurring in our school.

2018 Welcome BBQ

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:15 AEST

The sun was shining and the sausages were sizzling as Wheeler Heights Public School welcomed all our 2018 kindergarten students and new families with our annual BBQ (8/3/2018). Special thanks to our amazing band for playing and the P&C for cooking over 200 delicious sausages. It was great weather and the students loved the opportunity to run around the oval and play on the equipment. Thank you to all the wonderful Year 6 buddies who came along and helped. It was a fantastic evening.

2018 Swimming Carnival

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:14 AEST

This week students from Years 3-6 and some keen students from Year 2 attended the Wheeler Heights Swimming Carnival at The Manly Andrew "Boy" Charlton Swim Centre. It was an awesome to see so many students jumping in the water and giving it their personal bests. We would like to congratulate all students who participated. Several teachers, parents and staff from the pool commented on the behaviour of students who were following the Wheeler Way and proudly supporting their houses. Congratulations to all students who placed in their event: (27.2.2018)

Only a few points separated the houses (Ramsey 1^st, Jenkins 2^nd and Wheeler 3^rd). This shows how important it is to participate to support your house and to cheer on others competing!

Congratulations team Ramsay.

2018 Welcome Back

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:14 AEST

Welcome back to all our families and a special welcome to our 72 new Kindergarten students.

We hope you all had a wonderful holiday. The students have returned recharged, enthusiastic and ready to learn. In 2018 we have 490 students allowing us to form 19 classes.

Meet the Teacher Night

Monday 12 February 6-7pm Yr 3 & 4 7.15-8.15pm Yrs 5 & 6

Tuesday 13 February 6-7pm Kindy 7.15-8.15pm Yrs 1 & 2

Congratulations to our new school captains our school leaders, house captains, band and dance captains for 2018. We know you will be outstanding role models for our school.

School Leaders 2018

Captains - Lulu R & Gethan H

Vice Captains - Polly H & Ale B

Prefects - Maddie K, Lily Mc C, Tiana S, Jett D, Cory G and Elliott P.

House Captains

Jenkins House: Wil O'H & Summer A

Wheeler House: Ethan Mc G & Rylee M

Ramsay House: Hudson B & Ava F

House Vice Captains

Jenkins: Ashton D & Bethany Mc C

Wheeler: James C & Zahra N

Ramsay: Kane S & Kendi C

Band Captains Samuel C, George L, Antoinette G & Lola Mc G

Dance Captains Maya S & Ashleigh T

Traffic Submission

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:34 AEST

Recently a traffic proposal was sent to the Northern Beaches Council, with letters of support from both the P&C and myself as Principal. The submission was put together by parent Derek Mascarenhas and has been discussed at recent P&C meetings. The proposal has many sensible and practical suggestions about how we can improve the road and traffic safety around our school and the local shops. traffic submission (pdf 8552 KB)

Helpers Morning Breakfast

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:26 AEST

Last Thursday the school held a special thank you breakfast for our wonderful school helpers who donate their time to help our students and school. The talented Jazz Band provided the entertainment led by the amazing Anthony MacDermott (23/112017).

The morning breakfast was the staffs way of saying thank you to all our parents, grandparents and carers that help in the school. Our helpers assist with a multitude of tasks such as assisting with reading groups, volunteering in the uniform shop or helping in the canteen. The students certainly love your involvement and we appreciate your assistance!

Year 2 Swimming Program

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:37 AEST

Year 2 students have participated in a ten day Swimming and Water Safety Program at the Andrew Charlton Swim Centre at Manly. The swimming program is supported by the Department of Education and equips students with water safety and survival skills.

On the first day students were assessed and placed into four groups depending on their swimming ability. Each day the students worked through a series of activities to develop their water safety skills and improve their swimming technique. At the completion of the program each student received a certificate outlining their water safety skills and swimming capabilities.

The students thoroughly enjoyed the program and it has helped to develop their water confidence, water survival and swimming skills. (20/11 -1/12/2017)

Healthy Harold Visit

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:26 AEST

This week all K-3 classes have enjoyed an informative session with Healthy Harold and the fantastic Life Education staff (7/11-10/11/2017).

The focus modules were:

Kindergarten – My Body Matters

Year 1 – Ready, Steady, Go!

Year 2 – Growing Good Friends

Year 3 – bCyberwise

As part of these modules students learnt about different topics including: food and nutrition, hygiene, physical activity, personal safety, physical safety, positive relationships and online safety.

The Healthy Harold program is designed to help students make safer and healthier choices by developing their decision making and communication skills and teaching them about positive relationships. Parents can access additional information via the Healthy Harold website. https://www.lifeeducation.org.au

Year 2 Spelling Bee

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:37 AEST

Year 2 students have enjoyed participating in the Year 2 Spelling Bee. Three representatives from each class were selected for the final (26/10/2017).

2E Lucinda K. Amelia M., Samuel W.

2J Kirra B., Kai K. Spencer W.

2MJ Harrison H. Aiden N. Lily Z.

Acquaintance, ferocious, hideous, hydraulic, ghoul and precipice are just some of the words our amazing Year 2 Spelling Bee finalists successfully spelt. Eventually after over 25 rounds we ran out of words and needed to declare a tie between our last two competitors Aiden N. and Sam W.

Congratulations Aiden and Sam on your remarkable spelling!

We would like to congratulate all the finalists as they all performed extremely well and spelt some tremendously difficult words.

PSSA Cancelled FRI 20 OCT

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:30 AEST

PSSA Cancelled Friday 20 October.

K-2 Sports Day

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:27 AEST

On the last day of Term 3, K-2 students enjoyed an exciting Sports Day (22/9/2017).

The day started with all classes involved in the marching competition, which was won by the keen marchers from 1F. Next up were the Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 running heats followed by the finals. When students were not involved in their running heats they participated in a range of games such as ring toss, rob the nest, tunnel ball, stuck in the mud, egg and spoon races and jumping sack races. The last events were the preschool race followed by the hotly contested mothers and fathers' race.

Congratulations to all students for doing your best, your behaviour and sportsmanship was exemplary.

The K-2 Sports Day was organised by our amazing Kindergarten teachers. All K-2 staff would also like to thank our wonderful parent helpers for assisting in the organisation of the games.

Special thanks to Mr Radom for setting up the equipment.

K-2 Public Speaking Competition

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:27 AEST

Last Friday Mr Scotter and Mrs Falcone had the extremely enjoyable but difficult task of judging the K-2 Public Speaking Final (15/9/2017).

There were three students from each year in the K-2 Public Speaking Final which was the culmination of the class and year public speaking competitions.

The class standard was exceptionally high and every teacher was extremely impressed with the effort and preparation that the students put into their speeches. Three students from each class were selected to go to the public speaking semi-final for their year. The semi-final was judged by the K-2 teachers. The three selected winners then presented in front of K-2 at the K-2 Public Speaking Final. This is an outstanding accomplishment and all the finalists are to be congratulated for their entertaining and informative speeches.

As part of the judging criteria Mr Scotter and Mrs Falcone considered a number of elements such as voice projection, expression, clarity, content and audience participation.

Congratulations to the K-2 Public Speaking Final winners: Kindergarten: Rhys K, Year 1: Everett M and Year 2: Kai K.

Year 2 Excursion to the Coastal Environment Centre

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:36 AEST

On Tuesday Year 2 enjoyed a fantastic excursion to the Coastal Environment Centre in Narrabeen. Students participated in a range of hands on activities to learn about the importance of our waterways and caring for our local environment (19/9/2017).

Students examined 3D models of the local area to help understand how things like waste and oil can end up in our lagoons and oceans. Students also looked for coastal birds at the lagoon. To help understand how water is cleaned students designed and made their own water filters using rocks, leaves and other materials. A favourite part of the day was working in groups to create their own artwork made out of natural materials found on the beach. Students also visited the environment centre where they were able to touch and explore different artefacts and have a closer look at items on an electronic microscope. In the afternoon students had a great time exploring the rock platform and seeing all the amazing creatures in this ecosystem.

It was a fantastic excursion and all students left with a greater understanding of how their actions impact on the local coastal environment.

Fathers' Day Breakfast

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:25 AEST

Last Friday morning the P&C and the canteen arranged a fabulous Fathers' Day fundraising breakfast (1/9/2017). Special thanks to the P&C fundraising committee, Sherene and all our other wonderful helpers, teachers and students for your assistance in arranging the hall and cooking such a scrumptious breakfast.

SASS Week

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:31 AEST

This week is SASS (School Administration and Support Staff) Recognition Week and at Wheeler Heights we have an incredibly dedicated and caring SASS team that provides amazing support to our teachers and students. (September 4th to 8th 2017)

The staff at Wheeler Heights would like to take this opportunity to thank our incredible SASS staff. These are just a few of the tasks are wonderful SASS team does to ensure our school operates efficiently: answering phones, bandaging knees and soothing upset children, booking buses, photocopying notes, rephotocopying lost notes, taking care of ill students, ordering school supplies, organising payments, moving equipment, enrolling new students, assisting in the classroom, answering parent and teacher queries, helping students in the classrooms and playgrounds, keeping our school grounds safe and well maintained.

Thank you to our remarkable office stars: Jodie, Wendy, Tersea, Amanda, Glenda and Diana,our fantastic GA Lionel, our incredible IT guru Greg and our fabulous teacher aides Corey, Sanja, Carlie, and Tim.

Book Week 2017

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:17 AEST

Book Week is an important annual event that is held across Australia to celebrate Australian children's literature. To celebrate book week students dressed as their favourite book characters. We had fairytale characters, Dr Seuss characters, superheros, queens, wizards, knights, friendly giants and animals. Have a look at the photo gallery to see if you can see your favourite book character (24/8/2017).

Thank you to all the parents who donated a book. Your donation helps to ensure our library is well resourced.

Education Week 2017

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:24 AEST

There was singing, dancing, music and drama as we celebrated Education Week with outstanding performances by our talented students. Have a look at the photo gallery for more pictures of our amazing drama group, choir groups, dance groups and band.

Thank you to our amazing teachers who develop, inspire and encourage our students' skills and interests.

Thank you to all our parents and families who support our students in participating in all our wonderful extracurricular groups.

Christmas in July Fundraiser

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:19 AEST

All students K-6, teachers and office staff dressed in their Christmas mufti clothes to raise money for cancer research (21/7/2017). Students donated a gold coin and wore Christmas themed clothing or the colours red and green to show their support for the cause. Extra funds were were raised by the canteen who sold delicious Christmas themed treats.

Wheeler Heights donated $942 to the Fight on the Beaches Cancer Research. Special thanks to Sherene Lagasse and our wonderful canteen helpers.

NIDA Drama Performance

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:28 AEST

Recently the Wheeler Heights Drama Group performed at NIDA as part of the Arts Alive Festival of Drama (26/7/2017). The drama group performed an engaging and amusing play about a chicken who tried to make friends using technology. The acting was outstanding and the costumes looked amazing. Have a look at our photo gallery for some more amazing photos of our outstanding actors.

As well as being entertaining the play conveyed an important message about stranger danger and how we need to use technology carefully. Congratulations to all the members of the drama group on your wonderful performance.

Thank you to Ms Macpherson for your outstanding work in teaching the students.

School Disco 2017

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:31 AEST

Last Thursday night students K-6 hit the dance floor for another amazing school disco.

DJ Andy got the crowd bopping, jiving and grooving with all the latest hits and all the old favourites.

K-2 celebrated first with their own disco followed by the 3-6 student disco.

The night was a great success with all the students enjoying a wonderful night.

Special thanks to amazing Mrs Sakovitis and Mrs Wheeler for organising the night and to all the wonderful kindergarten mums and dads who volunteered on the night.

A huge thank you to all the teachers who boogied away and supervised on the night.

Diary of a Wombat Excursion

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:23 AEST

On Friday 9 June Stage 1 students went to Glen St Theatre to watch a production of Diary of a Wombat, based on the story by Jackie French. It was a very entertaining show and we all laughed along as Mothball created chaos for the humans around her. Following the show students participated in question time with the actors and gained a valuable insight into how the show was created.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education and Performance

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:15 AEST

Sorry Day along with Reconciliation and NAIDOC weeks occur this term and next. These are extremely important dates in our schooling calendar. In appreciation of these events we were so fortunate to be visited by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performance group, Koomurri, on Thursday 25 May. The whole school participated in varied activities and students were immersed in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture for the day.

As part of the day, every student in the school participated in creating an incredible mural on the wall within the multi-purpose court. The Aboriginal artist, explained the meaning behind the artwork.

WHEELER HEIGHTS PUBLIC SCHOOL ABORIGINAL MURAL

This mural is our Dreamtime Story. It explains us and what we are doing at WHPS. The turtles signify peace, love, friendship and the coming together of people to celebrate each other. It is hoped we can come together at least once a year to reflect upon what we already know about Aboriginal culture and to explore it further; continually building on our knowledge and understanding. The large U's represent teachers and parents and the small U's are the students. This shows us all together, always working together for each other. Within Aboriginal artworks, people are represented as a U because after you sit on the earth with your legs crossed, you leave a U imprint in the land. So our mural is US! All of us; it is the Dreamtime story of the Wheeler Heights PS Community – All together.

Make sure you see the newsletter later this week to check out all the activities we were involved in! It was an amazing day and a wonderful learning experience for all.

K-2 Litterbug Performance

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:27 AEST

Last Friday students from K-2 attended a free performance supported by Northern Beaches Council about the importance of recycling and not littering.

The show involved a mermaid who needed saving and a litterbug. It was an educational and entertaining show involving lots of audience participation with students playing games, singing and dancing as they learnt about the importance of not littering.

Thank you to Mrs Armstrong for organising the performance.

Author Visit

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:17 AEST

Last Friday author Belinda Nowell met with Year 2 to read her book "Who's Got a Normal Family?' and share her experiences of story writing. In the story the main character, Alex, explores the families of his classmates to discover that all families are different. This visit also related to the history unit students are studying; Families Past and Present.

After reading her book, students had the opportunity to ask Belinda questions about the writing process and how she came up with ideas for her story. Students were also able to see storyboards of the illustrations and learn more about how books are illustrated.

The school would like to thank Belinda for visiting and sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm for story writing with the students. Belinda kindly donated copies of her book for classrooms and the library. Belinda's story has been recognised as a Premier's Reading Challenge K- 2 text.

Cross Country Carnival 2017

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:21 AEST

Last Tuesday students from Years 2 to 6 run two or three kilometres for our Cross Country Carnival (2/5/2017). It was wonderful to see all students exhibit outstanding enthusiasm and sportsmanship during the event. Our wonderful grandstand was put to great use as students watched the race and cheered on their friends. The results were very close but the winning house for 2017 was Wheeler!

Peninsula Living Magazine

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:29 AEST

Peninsula Living is a free monthly magazine focusing on events and activities in the local area. This month be sure to read the education section as the magazine has included information about our Grandfriends Day.

Copies are usually delivered to home letter boxes at the start of each month. If you missed your copy they have a great on-line digital version to read. (Click to our link to the magazine and click on the current May magazine and make sure you see p.62)

Peninsula Living

Harmony Day 2017

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:26 AEST

Our diversity makes Australia a great place to live. The students reflected on this by participating in Harmony Day which is a celebration of cultural diversity. The message of Harmony Day is ‘Everyone Belongs'. In our morning assembly Year 6 students spoke about what belonging means to them and why it's important to respect and appreciate people's differences.

The students definitely brightened the day by looking like a colourful rainbow in their special harmony colours. To celebrate Harmony Day students spent time with a student in another class to discuss their similarities and differences. They also created a paper cut out of themselves which was displayed on the grassed area between the library and the school office block.

Students donated a gold coin, raising over $500 which will be used to support our sponsor child Gedete who lives in Ethiopia (23/3/2017)

PSSA CANCELLED 17/3/17

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:30 AEST

PSSA CANCELLED 17/3/17

ASG NEiTA Winner - Mr Williams

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:21 AEST

The ASG National Excellence in Teaching Awards (NEiTA) are a national award established to honour exemplary teaching and to formally recognise outstanding teachers and leaders. Mr Williams was nominated by a parent for a Leadership and Community Engagement Award.

As part of the awards process Mr Williams was recognised as one of 60 state award winners. After a rigorous selection process Mr Williams was selected as one of 12 national award recipients. The 12 national recipients attended a special award ceremony in Melbourne on Friday (10/3/2017). This is an exceptional achievement and any colleague or parent that has worked with or collaborated with Mr Williams will know this recognition and award is thoroughly well deserved.

In recognition of his achievement Mr Williams has received from ASG crystal apple trophy, a framed certificate of excellence and an ASG grant of $5000 to be used for a school initiative.

Outstanding work Mr Wiliams!

Welcome BBQ

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:35 AEST

Last Thursday our amazing P&C held their welcome BBQ to greet our kindergarten students and new school families (2/3/2017).

Luckily the rain stayed away and it was a great night for all our new families to meet each other and enjoy a chat. All the students had a fantastic time playing on the oval and playground equipment with their friends and siblings. It was also lovely to see many Year 6 students attend to welcome their kindergarten buddies.

Thanks to our wonderful P&C volunteers for all your effort in organising the night and cooking the delicious sausage sizzle.

Swimming Carnival

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:33 AEST

On Tuesday students from Years 3-6 and some keen students from Year 2 attended the Wheeler Heights Swimming Carnival at The Manly Andrew "Boy" Charlton Swim Centre (28/2/2017).

Congratulations to all students who participated. It was fantastic to see so many students jumping in the water to support their sports houses and follow the Wheeler Way by giving their personal best.

Thank you to all the teachers for your outstanding work in the sun and the rain. The school would also like to thank the parent volunteers who assisted with timing.

A very special thank you to Mrs Richards and Mr Webster for all your work in organising the event. The day wouldn't have been so successful without all of your hard work and effort!

PSSA Cancelled today 3/3/17

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:30 AEST

PSSA Cancelled today 3/3/17

Wheeler Heights "CLEAN UP DAY"

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:35 AEST

Today we had "4 Seasons In One Day" but managed to support The Clean Up Australia campaign with vigour!! What a splendid job we all did!! :-) A huge thank you to Ms Miles for all her hard work in organising this event.

(02-03-2017)

Welcome Back to Wheeler Heights 2017

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:34 AEST

Welcome back to another exciting school year. This year we have 19 classes with 499 students. It has been a great week with all students settling in well to their new classes.

Meet the Teacher Night

Our parent information evenings will be next week in your child's classroom.

Tuesday 7^th February: Kindy from 6-7pm and Year 1-2 from 7-8 pm

Wednesday 8^th February: Year 3-4 from 6-7pm and Year 5-6 from 7-8pm. 4/5RM will meet at 7pm.

Welcome BBQ

This week we have welcomed 61 new Kindergarten students. We have also had a number of new students join our school. We know all new students and families will be warmly welcomed into our friendly school community. We will hold our Welcome BBQ for Kindergarten families and new families on Thursday 2^nd March.

Make sure you keep up to date with all the latest news and events by reading the weekly newsletter which is sent out every Thursday.

CHESS NEWS

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:19 AEST

Welcome to chess 2017!

The Sydney Academy of Chess will be commencing coaching in the Library on Tuesday straight after school (31 Jan 3:20 -> 4:20pm), everyone welcome. Please make sure all children (especially the younger ones) are picked up at finishing time (else please let myself or the office know of going-home arrangements). Cost (which will be paid directly to the Academy) will be $80 for Term 1 and note(s) will be sent home with the children on Tuesday (additional copies under Permission Notes on the school website).

If you would like to keep seeing Lev, his Harbord Diggers Junior Chess Group will re-commence next Monday, 6 February 2017 and will operate for 9 consecutive Monday nights, 5:30 -> 7pm until 3 April 2017, in the Mezzanine Room/Boardroom, Mezzanine Level, 80 Evans Street, Freshwater. Cost is $90 for the first child in a family and $45 for other children in the family, payable in full up front or by two instalments, one at the commencement and one mid way through the sessions.Enquiries are welcome to Lev on his mobile number 0478 521 829 or by email to tekno3@gmail.com. Ms Heike Zillhardt

2017 Stationery Requirements lists

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:14 AEST

The stationery requirement lists are located in the Parent Information tab.

2017 Textbook and Exercise Book Orders

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:14 AEST

Please see the information regarding how to order and pay for school textbook and exercise books for 2017 in the Parent Information tab.

Santa and the Swagman Show

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:36 AEST

Year 2 enjoyed performing the immensely entertaining show Santa and the Swagman for their family and friends (7/12/2016). It was a wonderful performance with every child getting the opportunity to display their singing, dancing and acting talents.

Special congratulations to our incredible drama teacher Ms McPherson for developing each child's drama skills and coordinating such a huge task. The students did an outstanding job and I'm sure the performance will long be remembered as a highlight of Year 2.

Christmas Carol Night

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:20 AEST

The oval was a field of fun on Monday night as we celebrated our second Christmas carol night (12/12/2016).

It was wonderful to see so many families attend and oh what a night!

The festivities kicked off with a sausage sizzle with music from our outstanding band. The entertainment continued with songs from each year group and the Wheeler Wailers. There was even a staff sing-along. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped on the night. Over 600 sausages were cooked, served and enjoyed.

Special thanks to the incomparable Ms McCombie for organising the night.

Healthy Harold Visit

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:23 AEST

14th - 25th November 2016

All classes K-6 have enjoyed an informative session on healthy lifestyle choices with Healthy Harold and the Life Education staff Caitlin and Leanne.

Each class visited the Healthy Harold van and participated in engaging activities across a range of areas. Issues covered may have included: food and nutrition, personal safety, physical activity, cyber safety, medicine safety and legal drugs; tobacco, alcohol and caffeine. The Healthy Harold program is designed to help students develop relationship skills, communication skills and decision making skills.

Parents are also able to access additional information via the Healthy Harold website. Link available below.

Healthy Harold Link

School Safety & Security

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:31 AEST

Dear Parents

As you will be aware the school has recently installed automatic gates at the Veterans Parade driveway entrance.

Therefore from Monday 17 October the school car park will only be available for Staff Parking and Deliveries.

Thank you for your cooperation and support in this matter.

David Scotter Principal

2016 Spell-a-thon

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:14 AEST

Our first school Spell-a-thon was an outstanding success raising over $20 000.

Special congratulations to:

* Keilana S from 3C for being the top 3-6 fundraiser.

* Jake B from 1/2F for being the top K-2 fundraiser.

Our top fundraisers were presented with bikes and certificates in recognition of their fantastic fundraising.

Congratulations to all our top class fundraisers and our gold and silver fundraisers. Please refer to the Week 9 newsletter for a list of names. Depending on the category, these students were acknowledged with a lovely certificate and a prize of a soccer ball, beach cricket set or voucher.

All students were also entered in the lucky draw. The lucky draw prize was a surfboard which was won by Murray S. from 3/4S.

Well done to 1/2F and 3C for being the top class fundraisers. These classes will celebrate with a special class party.

Special thanks to all the parents, relatives and friends who supported the event. It was great opportunity to integrate learning with fundraising and the students really enjoyed participating in the Spell-a-thon. Funds raised will be used to purchase new technology and upgrade the K-2 playground.

Special thanks to Mrs Armstrong for organising the event and the P&C for your support.

NSW Police Band Visit 2016

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:28 AEST

This week all K-6 students enjoyed an entertaining performance by the NSW Police Band. The school band and training band also completed workshops with the Police Band (13/10/2016).

The students had a great time grooving along with the music and identifying the songs they knew. Amongst the highlights was music from the Flintstones, Pink Panther, Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean. There were also many other well-known songs such as Greensleeves and the William Tell Overture. In addition to listening to these classic songs students also got the chance to sing along to some current hits.

Thank you to our amazing band leader Anthony McDermott and the school band committee for organising this valuable and entertaining event. Thanks also to all the parents who support our wonderful school band.

Science Week 2016

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:31 AEST

The theme for Science Week 2016 was Drone, Droids and Robots. To celebrate Science Week the school had two special drone events.

Firstly Luke an ex-student demonstrated his drone to the school. Luke also visited a number of classes and presented a PowerPoint presentation and answered questions about his drone.

We also had a second drone event when Charles B (2E) led a very informative question and answer session with his dad Ben which taught us about drones, how they are powered and their many uses; from pizza delivery to being used in the military. The whole school then ventured to the oval and lined up in their classes to make the letters W and H. Then Mauricio from Property Meter demonstrated his commercial drone. This drone can go up to 500 metres high which is truly impressive to witness.

Across the school classes also explored the uses and benefits of drones. Students also discussed issues regarding drone use such as safety and privacy concerns.

Thank you to all those involved who donated their time, the events were great exhibitions of what drones are and how they can be used.

Book Week 2016

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:17 AEST

Last Thursday (1/9/2016) the school celebrated Book Week with a wonderful parade. The students and teachers all enjoyed dressing up as their favourite book characters.

Thank you to Mrs Bevan for all your work in organising the parade. Special thanks to all the parents who donated a book to the school. Please see the "Book Week" album for more photos of this fun event.

SAS Recognition Week 2016

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:31 AEST

At Wheeler Heights Public School we are very fortunate to have an amazing SAS team to support the teachers and students. Bandaging knees, booking buses, photocopying sheets, organising payments, ordering supplies, setting up equipment and assisting in the classroom are just a few of the many important jobs our wonderful SAS team complete. If you have been in the vicinity of the office, especially during the morning or afternoon rush, you would have certainly witnessed how our SAS team are also master jugglers who seamlessly move from assisting ill children to answering phones and tendering to teacher and parent queries, often all at once and always with a smile.

So an enormous thank you to our wonderful SAS team for all that you do every day to help ensure our school operates efficiently.

Education Week Showcase 2016

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:24 AEST

Wheeler Heights Public School celebrated Education Week 2016 with a performance showcase by our very talented students.

Parents and students were entertained by the school's amazing bands, dance groups, choirs and drama group. There was also a special performance of ballroom dancing by Year 6 students and speeches from our Stage 3 multicultural public speaking competiton winners. Have a look in the photo gallery for more photos of the performances.

Peninsula Living Article

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:29 AEST

Wheeler Heights Public School offers students a variety of different programs and activities. The local community got to read about some of our wonderful activities in this month's edition of Peninsula Living (August 2016). Peninsula Living is a great local publication that focuses on the peninsular community. When you sit down to enjoy this month's edition you will see a lovely article about the school on p74.

If you missed out please click on the link below to see the story.

August Peninsula Living

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AUGUST 5 PSSA is CANCELLED

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:17 AEST

PSSA is cancelled for today Friday 5 August due to the weather.

Open Day Family Picnic - cancelled Thursday 4 August

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:29 AEST

Unfortunately due to our grounds being wet and the chilly winter weather, we have cancelled the Family Picnic aspect of Open Day on Thursday 4 August.

The Spell-a-thon will still be on in the morning and the Showcase will also still be on in the hall at 2pm. We look forward to seeing our visitors at 2pm tomorrow.

Year 4 Gibberagong Excursion Postponed on Wednesday 3 August due to Inclement weather.

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:37 AEST

Due to inclement weather the Gibberagtong excursion is postponed until further notice.

Peter Combe School Visit

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:29 AEST

The well known musician and entertainer Peter Combe visited the school today to perform for our K-2 students (Friday 22nd July). The students thoroughly enjoyed the performance and loved singing along and performing the actions to all the songs. The crowd favourites seemed to be Mr Clicketty Cane, Newspaper Mama, Juicy Juicy Green Grass and Spaghetti Bolognaise.

School Dance Groups

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:31 AEST

The two school dance groups have been have extremely busy competing in weekend eisteddfods and The Sydney North Dance Festival at Glen Street Theatre. Both teams have done a marvellous job with special congratulations to the junior dance group who have won their section on two occasions.

Special thanks to Miss Tahlia, Mrs Richards, Mrs Owens, Miss Higgs and all the parents, especially the liaison parents Deneille and Jasmine, for supporting the dance groups. Your support at these events is invaluable.

The students have all had a wonderful time. Their participation at these events creates many special memories that the students remember long after they have left Wheeler Heights.

Spell-a-thon

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:32 AEST

Wheeler Heights Public School will hold their first Spell-a-thon on Thursday 4^th August 2016. This is a great opportunity for students to learn whilst directly being involved in raising funds for their school. Funds raised will be used to help fund the technology department and upgrade the K-2 playground.

Students in K-2 will be assigned up to 25 grade appropriate words. Student in 3-6 will be assigned up to 50 grade appropriate words.

Family and friends can sponsor students for each word or can sponsor students for a general donation. There will be prizes for the highest sponsorship raised across the school and in each class. There will also be a whole class prize for K-2 and 3-6.

The sponsorship sheet and a list of words will be sent home in Term 3. See the newsletter for more information.

Safari Drama Performance

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:30 AEST

Australian animals, African animals, sea creatures, insects, birds and trees took over the school hall as Year 3 and Year 4 performed their musical drama Safari.

The musical had an important environmental message about taking care of our environment and all the world's creatures.

Congratulations to all the students on their fantastic job. Special thanks to Ms Macpherson for producing such an entertaining and exciting performance.

Island Dreaming Indigenous Performance

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:27 AEST

On Monday students K-6 enjoyed a performance by Phil Geia. Phil is a Bwgcolman (which means many tribes) from Palm Island. He travels to schools across Australia to teach students about Indigenous culture. His show "Island Dreaming" incorporated traditional stories, instruments, song and dance. The students all enjoyed the performance and the opportunity to learn more about Indigenous culture (6/6/2016).

Thank you Mrs Wright for organising this event.

Kindergarten Enrolments 2017

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:28 AEST

School tours are available every month. The next school tour is on Thursday 23 June at 9.45am. We look forward to seeing you there.

Cross County

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:21 AEST

On Wednesday students from Years 2-6 participated in the cross country carnival. The weather was fantastic and the students were all eager to participate and improve on their training results. The first six place getters in each group will attend the Pittwater Zone Carnival on the 20th May. (4/5/2016)

Chess News

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:19 AEST

Please wish our chess teams good luck for this Friday!

Many of the children are playing their first games ever in the Junior Chess League competition!!! An exciting (perhaps daunting?) venture, and no doubt all participants will benefit greatly from the variety of match-play. Don't forget, Monday evenings at Harbord Diggers is another option for gaining experience. We will keep you updated.on how the teams go and ... many thanks to Lev for preparing the players, and to all the parent helpers, who make sure the teams get to their "away" games and are well fed-and-watered at "home" games!

Coaching started again this week - Lev extends a warm welcome to anyone else who would like to join the beginners' group, Monday lunchtimes. Please return payments (directly to the office) as soon as possible (additional notes are on the website). Ms H Zillhardt

ANZAC Day 2016

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:15 AEST

On Thursday K-6 students commemorated ANZAC Day by participating in a whole school service. The Year 6 leadership team led the ceremony and spoke about the sacrifices faced by soldiers and their families. Oliver played the Last Post. Students followed one minute of silence to show their respect and for reflection.

Year 6 students sang "I Am Australian" and also created artworks that allowed them to reflect on ANZAC day. All students are to be commended for their exemplary behaviour during this important event. (28/4/2016)

IGA School Donation

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:26 AEST

This week the school received a generous donation of $919.69 from IGA. The money was donated as part of IGA's Community Chest program. Thank you IGA for supporting the school! (6/4/2016)

Easter Hat Parade

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:24 AEST

On Thursday the hall was filled with feathers, bunnies, eggs and smiles as K-2 students showed their amazing and creative Easter Hats. After the parade parents and grandfriends enjoyed visiting the classrooms.

Well done K-2 on your fantastic creations!

(24.3.2016)

Premier's Reading Challenge

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:29 AEST

Registration for the Premier's Reading Challenge has now opened and we hope all students participate. The aim of the challenge is to promote the love of reading. It is not a competition, but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely.

The challenge for K-2 students is to experience 30 books, 25 books must come from the Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) booklist and 5 can be personal choice. To experience a book a child can listen to the book, participate in a shared reading of the book or read part or the entire book independently. The PRC provides you as parents an excellent opportunity to encourage and assist your child to develop their reading skills and foster a love of learning.

The challenge for the students in years 3-6 is to read 20 books, 15 books must come from the Premier's Reading challenge booklist and 5 books can be of free choice.

In order to participate and complete the challenge, each student must fill in a reading record. This is available on the PRC website. Please make yourself aware of the rules of the challenge, which are also stated on the website. Use your child's school username and password to log on. If your child does not know their information please ask your child's class teacher.

Mrs Bevan

Teacher Librarian

Harmony Day

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:26 AEST

On Monday students celebrated Harmony Day by creating an artwork that focused on a symbol of peace. The students also raised over $500 for our sponsor child Gedete in Ethiopia.

Chess News

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:19 AEST

Just in case you missed it ...... Callum H, Jonas K and Niklas K blitzed their first ever Northern Beaches Junior Chess tournament at Mona Vale P/S, ranking equal first in the junior division!!!! Many, many thanks to Lev and parent helpers.

Welcome BBQ Afternoon

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:34 AEST

Wheeler Heights P & C held a social event to welcome all new families and Kindergarten families to our amazing school. It was a wonderful opportunity for families to get to know each other whilst enjoying a sausage sizzle. Year 6 "buddies" did a marvellous job helping to welcome all our new students and their families.

The school would like to thank the P & C for organising this event.

Chess News

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:19 AEST

Chess coaching with Lev started this week and many thanks to those who have already returned their fees/permissions (notes available on the website or from myself). Sessions were slightly mixed up owing to the swimming carnival on Monday, but the Year 3s (and swimming Year 2s) had a "catch up" on Tuesday - hopefully things will return to "normal" next week and we will be able to better gauge numbers. We only have a few weeks before we have to nominate teams for this year's competitions.

Pending final coaching numbers, at this stage, we would like to offer anyone keen to learn chess but not entirely sure of the moves, the opportunity to catch up by practising on Dinosaur Chess - it's available as a windows-based program that I am able to give the children if they bring me a USB memory stick.

More experienced players again have the opportunity to attend Harbord Diggers Jnr Chess via this enrolment form . Ms Heike Zillhardt

2016 Grade Equipment Lists

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:13 AEST

Please see the grade lists below for a list of necessary stationery items for 2016.

Kindergarten: No items are required as the school purchases the necessary stationery and invoices families through the school program fees.

Year 1 & Year 2: Y1&Y2 Stationery List (pdf 93 KB)

Year 3 & Year 4: Y3&4 Stationery List (pdf 237 KB)

Year 5: Y5 Stationery List (pdf 217 KB)

Year 6: Y6 Stationery List (pdf 203 KB)

Project Green Sea Turtle

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:30 AEST

Congratulations to our PGST team of 15 Year 5 and 6 school leaders who have been working so hard to create a range of thought provoking, persuasive and stimulating contributions for our campaign to promote environmental sustainability and responsibility in conjunction with the 'Take 3 For The Sea' program.

Group 1 (Oliver, Archie, Jem and Daniel)

have produced an eye-catching, persuasive poster to encourage responsibble litter management. Look out for this poster around the school and local shops.

Group 2 (Luke, Arabella and Neve)

have created a short 3D animated movie which follows the journey of a piece of rubbish dropped carelessly.

Group 3 (Kahli, Frankie, Brianna and Ruby)

have created an interactive, life-sized Green Sea Turtle model which will contain plastic litter pieces which, when taken out of the turtle by viewers, will present facts about marine debris and the problems it causes as well as providing solutions and tips to help us all minimise the problem.

Group 4 (Brie, Gabbie, Declan and Mitchell)

have written, performed and recorded a catchy protest song which asks listeners to 'Pick It Up For Me!'.

The song will be played over the PA system to promote random 'Take 3 for the sea' moments of rubbish collection during play periods at school.

CHESS NEWS

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:18 AEST

THE CHAMPIONS OF CHAMPIONS!!!

For those of you who haven't already heard, the fabulous "A" Team (Ollie O, Ethan B, Jet T and Luke D) have taken out the Manly-Warringah Championship Division of the NSW Junior Chess League primary schools' competition. This is a monumental feat (a tribute to Lev's coaching) and a first for Wheeler Heights, against arch-opponents like Newport and Mona Vale! The boys will go on to play against the winners of the other metropolitan divisions, and if they keep on winning (who knows??!) they could end up at the Australian championships .... it would be remiss of me not to mention, at this stage, that Luke has maintained his unblemished winning streak in this particular tournament since he was in Year 2 (he's now in Year 4)! And, of course, it goes without saying that the parental support of ALL players in this competition (big ask - Friday, after school!) has been phenomenal, as always - many, many thanks to everyone involved!

Lev has a special skill for getting the best out of young chess players and teaches them the value of perseverance and practice. His last school, St Johns Narraweena, were last year's winners of the local Championship division. Each term I publicise the Harbord Diggers Junior Chess club, which was founded by Lev with the kind support of Mr Tom Accola, the club secretary. Many aspiring young local players attend on Monday evenings for invaluable extra practice and Lev would like to extend an invitation to all our Monday and Tuesday coaching attendees to come along too!!

On an admistrative note, I have emailed links to those expressing interest in playing chess during the holidays (in the NSW U12 tournament) and also (re) sent home notes for Term 2 coaching fees. Please let me know if you have any queries about either of those.

Looking forward to seeing everyone back at chess next Term. Ms Zillhardt

ANZAC Centenary of World War 1

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:15 AEST

Wheeler Heights' Leadership Team and the Senior Choir recently took part in the ANZAC Centenary of World War 1 ceremony at the RSL War Veterans Village. For more details see the Special Events section under Curriculum & Activites.

Harbord Diggers Chess Tournament

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:25 AEST

Here are the full details of the tournament Lev is arranging during his Monday evening Harbord Diggers sessions and the entry form .

Chess News

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:19 AEST

Firstly the competition news .... Congratulations to Ethan Baillie of 4E who participated in the NSW Under-12 Junior Championships during the holidays - being several years younger than many of the other competitors, Ethan finished a VERY respectable 17th place out of 54!

We held all our group play-offs for our World Cup chess competition before the holidays, with Kane Sinclair (Mexico), Alejandro Briones (Chile), Jaden Dee (Japan), Alexander Wu (Costa Rica), Ethan Baillie (Germany) and Jenna Manson (Russia) making it through to the finals. After a round-robin between these players, our overall World Cup winners were:

Juniors - Ale Briones

Seniors - Ethan Baillie (GERMANY!!! coincidentally)

Well done to everyone who got involved!

Lev has extended an invitation to all interested (and available) players to participate in a special individual tournament at the Monday evening Harbord Diggers session on 4 August, with great trophies in the offing, and a $5 participation fee to cover costs. He will be running a free training session this coming Monday for potential competitors to get some match practice.

And on an administrative note .... many thanks to those of you who have already returned their coaching fees. It is really essential to know that we can cover the costs of the coaches through your financial commitment as early as possible in the term (for example, it looks like the proposed "girls' class" on Thursdays is a no-go, as many who seemed keen last term have changed their minds over the holidays). Please keep those forms coming back.

Holiday Chicken Roster

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:26 AEST

If you would like to volunteer to look after the chickens during the school holidays please let the office know. We try to have a number of families on a 3 or 4 day shift. The children love it and you are able to collect 5 or 6 eggs each day!!

Northern Beaches Eisteddfod success

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:28 AEST

Our intermediate band WON their category at the recent Northern Beaches Eisteddfod at St Augustine's College. The band were the stand out performers on the day and their success is well deserved. The Eisteddfod also provided the opportunity for our enthusiastic training band's debut competition performance. The training band held their own amongst a very tough field and impressed the judges with their performance and deportment. Well done both bands, we are very proud of you and look forward to your upcoming performances at Pittwater High School.

Tim Bailey Channel Ten Weather Report - date change

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:34 AEST

Tim Bailey will now be doing his weather report @ Wheeler Heights Public School next Tuesday 6 June. Please see the attached notice for details!

Tim Bailey Weather Report (pdf 341 KB)

Dance groups perform at Eisteddfod

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:35 AEST

On Saturday 31st May, Senior and Junior dance groups competed against 14 schools at the Northern Beaches Eisteddfod which was held at Covenant Christian School. Junior dance performed to 'Do your thing' by Basement Jaxx and Senior dance performed to 'Seven Nation Army' by The White Stripes. Both groups did a spectacular job under the creative genius of Miss Tahlia and ably led by Dance Captains Ashely, Alena and Breeana. Our Senior girls were 'Highly Commended', which is a fantastic effort and Junior Dance put on an impressive show in their first Eisteddfod for 2014. Well done both dance groups! Keep an eye out for lots of upcoming performances.

School Uniform

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:31 AEST

Please be advised that students are now asked to wear Winter School Uniform. The first week of this term will be a transition period, and we hope that all students can be in full Winter Uniform by Monday 5 May. Thank you for your support.

Sustainable Sculptures Make Wheeler Heights Their Home

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:32 AEST

Sustainable Sculptures Make Wheeler Heights Their Home!

The entrance to our Administration area is now being guarded by 'Mutton Chops' the metal ram, 'Sneaky Spider' and a beautiful butterfly. These realistic, fun sculptures were donated by their designers & creators, and are a wonderful lasting memory from our much enjoyed 2013 Sustainable Sculpture Walk. Many thanks go to our star sculptors: Ben & Adam Shultz (ram), James Clark (spider) and Maddie Clark(butterfly).

2014 Y6 School Camp

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:13 AEST

Parents, please note that the The Great Aussie Bush Camp for Y6 students in 2014 is being held during the last week of Term1 - Monday 7th - Wednesday 9th April.

Chess 2014

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:18 AEST

Chess is due to start on Monday lunchtime Week 2 (3 February), for Year 2, with a very welcome return to chess coaching at WHPS by Miro Nowak for the "littlies" this year! Miro is always happy for children to trial a lesson and invites interested parents to come along.

We are very lucky to have Grand-Master Lev Aptekar coaching the Years 3 - 6 players this year. Classes will be starting on Tuesday 4 February at lunchtime only for this week (as numbers for the after-school class on offer still need confirming). As Lev is a "new face" to WHPS, he has requested a "meet the coach <-> parents" session in Week 3 (day/time to be confirmed).

Please return enrolment forms (doc 52 KB) to the school office a.s.a.p.

Kindergarten Best Start Assessments 29-31 Jan 2014

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:28 AEST

Dear Parents of Kindergarten students for 2014

Late last year you will have received a letter with details of how to book in for your child's Best Start Assessment session.

The log on details are www.schoolinterviews.com.au and school code B832A

A copy of the letter with is also attached below.

Best Start Letter 2014 (pdf 140 KB)

We look forward to seeing your family in 2014.

Regards

David Scotter

Principal

STOP THE PRESS! Chess News ....

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:32 AEST

The fabulous Wheeler Heights "A" Team have culminated their primary school chess career by placing THIRD (out of 54 teams) in yesterday's NSW Junior Chess League all-day tournament. Jack, Max and Finley have been playing together since Year 3 and hopefully chess will continue to play a part in their lives beyond life at WHPS! Congratuations boys!

All-in-all, 18 children ranging from Years 1 to 6 ably represented the school in a great day of chess. Many thanks to parents who helped out with lifts and throughout the day. And many thanks to Michael Wu for photography. Ms Z

Chess - Term 4 All Day Tournament

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:19 AEST

We have received our annual invitation to the FREE Accor sponsored all-day chess tournament, to be held on Thursday 7 November. This is a great experience in match-play for all capable young chess players (especially those who have attended coaching throughout the year).

This year we will be attending Pittwater House and it is up to the children to organise themselves into teams of 3 with a parent driver to transport them to and from the venue,

Please complete and return the Note (in the notes section of the website) a.s.a.p. and do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries.

Best regards

Ms Zillhardt

Chess

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:19 AEST

As chess regulars would be aware, coaching has finished at WHPS for the year (last lessons were last week), but we have been presented with an exciting new chess learning opportunity for term 4 from Harbord Diggers Chess Club. Please check out the "Notes" section of the website, where I've included the circular from the Diggers, promoting Junior Chess for a very reasonable fee, starting late October. Coaching will be Lev Aptekar (who has his own Wikipedia entry!!!) who has been tutoring our Year 3 Ace, Ethan, and comes highly recommended.

Also to be congratulated are all the competitors in the NSW Junior Chess, giving up their Friday afternoons to represent the school, with a "special mention" going to Luke of Year 2, for completing the 9-game season UNDEFEATED! An EXCELLENT result from one so young!

Still to look forward to, chess-wise, next term - in-school tournaments (hopefully utilising new outdoor chess pieces) and the all-day Mona Vale tournament. Ms Z

Sustainable Sculpture Exhibition

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:32 AEST

When: Week 2, October 17th & 18th

Where: Bushland around K-2 Playground

Stage 2/3 students have been participating in a visual arts unit of study on sustainability and the environment, with the end product to be the design and make of a 3D sculpture made from recycled materials. We hope that parents can help or encourage their child to construct a sculpture during the term break (joint sculptures are welcome). The sculptures need to be large enough to have some impact in our bush setting. The materials used should all be from a recycled source.

Sculptures are due at school on Monday 14th October.

Reduce, Reuse-Reinvent, Recycle

Manly Warringah Knockout - Friday 14 June

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:28 AEST

The Manly Warringah Knockout will be held this Friday 14 June.

Boys Soccer (one team) will be at Millers, Boys Rugby League (2 teams) at Nolans, Girls Soccer (one team) at Careel Bay and Girls Netball (2 teams) at Curl Curl. Coaches have given permission notes to all participants. Please note that some competitions are for Open teams only and therefore not all PSSA players will be participating this Friday. Please see your coach if you are unsure.

In the event of wet weather the Knockout will most likely be postponed until next Friday 21 June.

Congratulations to the Bands and Dance Groups !!!

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:21 AEST

Congratulations to the Bands and Dance groups who performed so well in their Eisteddfods recently. Read more about their success in the school newsletter tomorrow...

Parent Teacher Interviews

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:39:29 AEST

Parent Teacher Interviews Semester One

Please be advised that parent teacher interviews will be conducted during weeks 10 and 11 this term (April 2-12). We are using a new booking system this year, so parents are asked to log on to www.schoolinterviews.com.au and book online.

The site will open for bookings on Monday 18 March from 3pm. Parents who may not have access to the internet are very welcome to come to the school office from 3pm on Monday and use the computers in the office.

Please log on to www.schoolinterviews.com.au and enter the event codePUS9B. Miss Tekampe (IT) will be having her interviews at a different time and therefore to access her class please use code KN6SB.

You will then need to find your child's class and choose from the interview times available. It will be a first in first served system. You will be asked to put in an email address and an email confirmation will be sent to you. Interviews will be held in the teachers' classrooms, unless otherwise advised.

David Scotter Principal 14/3/13