A Guide for Parents on Using the P&C WhatsApp Group

P&C groups use WhatsApp to share important information about our school community. To keep the group focused and supportive, here are key guidelines for parents:

1. Focus on Sharing Information

The primary purpose of the P&C WhatsApp group is to provide updates on school events, initiatives, and opportunities. This is not the place for criticism or complaints about staff or school policies.

2. Think Before You Post

Before sending a message, consider its relevance. Is it important for everyone? Would it be better suited for a private conversation including clarification about a specific issue with a KHPS staff member? Aim to contribute positively to the school community.

3. Use Respectful Language

Avoid emotionally charged language or comments that express personal grievances. Clear and respectful communication helps maintain a constructive environment.

4. Limit Message Frequency

Keep messages concise and relevant to avoid overwhelming the group. Combine thoughts into fewer messages when possible.

5. Encourage Inclusivity and Respect Privacy

Respect diverse opinions and encourage a welcoming atmosphere. Do not share personal information about others without their consent.

6. Support Our School Community

Celebrate achievements and share positive news. The group should uplift and support our school rather than serve as a platform for negative comments.

7. Take Heated Discussions Offline

If discussions become contentious, move them to private messages to prevent misunderstandings and maintain group harmony.

Conclusion

By adhering to these guidelines, we can create a positive and informative P&C WhatsApp group that benefits our school community. Let’s work together to keep our communications focused on support and collaboration!

Success at KHPS is attained when school values of Respect, Responsibility are widely practised across our learning community by students. staff and parents.

Certificates and book awards are issued to students who demonstrate their growth and achievement in behaving respectfully, responsibly and successfully. Their words and actions make our school a happier, kinder and safer place for everyone. Congratulations this week to: Teddy, Olivia, Edith, Claire, Sophie and Nora.   

Hello KHPS community!

My name is Chloe O'Connor and I am the school counsellor at KHPS. I am a primary school trained teacher and a registered psychologist and have been working as a school counsellor since 2018. I will be working with students, teachers and parents to:

• support students who are worrying about school work, friends, getting in trouble at school or feeling down 
• help parents and carers make decisions about your child’s education
• assess a student’s learning and behaviour
• help teachers and students identify and address disabilities that may affect learning
• liaise with other agencies regarding student well-being.

Most of my referrals come through the Learning and Support team, but please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Chloe

Learning

Poetry Recitation Competition

This school-wide recitation competition encourages all students to learn a poem in French and to deliver it from memory in a confident and eloquent manner.  

In-class learning

During sessions with their LOTE teacher, students will unpack the text through explicit lessons around comprehension, vocabulary and pronunciation. They will revise and practice their diction during reading groups and LOTE lessons with a Teacher of French.

Rehearsing at home

The purpose of the poems being sent home is to allow the students to revise and rehearse their delivery prior to the final presentation.

Presenting in class

The recitations will take place in class during News time in Week 5/6 (Kindy to Year 2) or during LOTE in Week 6 (Kindy & Years 3 to 6), and a winner will be selected to participate in the finals held in Week 7.  The class finalists will receive a note indicating the date of the final (week 7). In week 10, the grade finalists will be awarded certificates at the conclusion of the Assembly.

Poetry Illustration

Students are encouraged to illustrate their poem and submit their artwork to their French teacher by the end of Week 7. A winning illustration will be chosen for each year, and all illustrations will be displayed on the hall walls for the end of Term 2! 

Video recordings

To help students learn their poems at home, Teachers of French have recorded videos of text overlaid with audio for each poem. These recordings are meant to help with diction and pronunciation. Students can then add their own personalisation to present their poem.

Le monde sans fin

HSC French students from Killarney Heights High School (KHHS) visited the Year 5/6 building last week to take a tour of “Le Monde sans fin” exhibition on display. The excursion enriched their in-class discussions surrounding climate change and options to moderate the human impact on the planet.

Enrol now: Anglophone stream L’Etude Homework Club

To support Anglophone stream students with their homework, FANS is excited to launch the new Anglophone stream Etude Homework Club on Mondays 3pm - 4pm, for students from Years 3 to 6.

During the session, students can complete their written French homework, practice their poetry recitation, and play games in French.

To enrol, please email us with your child’s details to admin@fanssydney.org. Enrolments are on a first come, first served basis. Please see our website for more details.

Best regards,

Anne Bentley
GM FANS

What an incredible Eagle Tag season we have had! Students brought enthusiasm and heart to every game, worked extremely hard and demonstrated excellent sportsmanship throughout the season. We had some exciting games, and it was fantastic to see the team spirit and dedication on full display.

Siena Moss & Jennifer Tong
Eagle Tag Coaches

On Wednesday 7 May, students had their Cross Country Carnival. It was a fantastic day and students had lots of fun!

Congratulations to the following students who placed in the Top 10 for their age group. The Top 6 from each age group will compete at the Zone Cross Country.

Jennifer Tong
Carnival Coordinator

KHPS had their Cross Country Carnival last Wednesday 7 May. Please see the photos of students at the carnival. Thank you to our course marshall parent helper, David G, for taking these amazing photos of the students on the course!

Jennifer Tong 
Cross Country Coordinator

Overdue books

Overdue emails have been sent out. We have over 600 books overdue from last term. Our policy is if students have overdues they are allowed to still borrow one book but if the overdues are from a while ago we ask to get these back before any borrowing is able to occur again. This is to ensure the library remains well stocked for all students to enjoy. We ask if you do have a child/children with overdues to please ask them to return them to the library as soon as possible. They do not need to wait until their library day to return books. They can put them in the returns box any day, at any time that the library is open.Thank you for your assistance with this.

Scholastic Book Club

The last day for ordering books from the Scholastic Book Club issue 4 is this Sunday, the 16th of May. Please have all orders in by the end of day.

As always, happy reading!

Miss Muddell
Teacher Librarian

With the hustle and bustle of daily before-school and work routines, we understand that things can easily be forgotten or overlooked. We can also appreciate families of students in the older grades trying to develop children's responsibility by allowing them to order/make/pack their own lunch. However, lately we have noticed an increase in students coming to school without lunch and/or lunch orders not being ordered. The canteen reports an excess number of instances over the last few weeks of students needing lunch to be made for them for various reasons.  

We would like to take this opportunity to reach out to our parent community to urge you to set those reminders on your devices or create a leaving-for-school-list on the fridge or next to the garage door button, to ensure our children's lunches are packed and ordered.  

What happens if we forget?

In the case where students are missing recess or crunch'n'sip, we do encourage students to 'hang tough' until lunch or have a little bit of lunch earlier.  

If students make staff aware that they are missing their lunch before lunchtime, our wonderful administration staff will call parents and carers to ask if food can be brought in.

In instances where a parent/carer can't bring lunch to school or a student is only made aware of a missing lunch at lunchtime, staff will give students a 'yellow canteen slip'. This 'yellow canteen slip' indicates to the canteen that the child needs either a cheese or Vegemite sandwich made for lunch (or an apple/orange for those children with allergies). The canteen then has its own processes to invoice the parents for the sandwich or fruit.

The canteen has also ensured it is as easy as possible to order food through the Flexischools App right up until and even after 9am.

Please contact the school should you need any assistance with providing your child/ren with recess/crunch'n'sip/lunch.  

Also, you may find these web pages of use: 

DET: Eating at school 

DET: Nutrition at school 

Eating Tips for School Children 

Parent TV: Feeding a Picky Eater webinar recording 

Northern Beaches Council is hosting a free webinar, The Complexity of School Refusal, to support families and the wider school community.

This will be a good opportunity to gain a better understanding about causes and challenges, with experts sharing practical strategies to help families manage school attendance. As effective support relies on strong home–school collaboration, principals, teachers and school staff are encouraged to attend. The webinar is targeted at parents/carers of upper primary and secondary school students (approx.10- 16-year-olds).

The complexity of school refusal. Webinar for parents, carers and educators

If your child is struggling to attend school, you’re not alone. Join experts from KYDS, EPIC and Youth Up Front to gain a greater understanding and explore support options to help 10- to 16-year-olds navigate school attendance challenges

Wednesday 14 May, 7 - 8.30pm

Online, Free

Register here

Proudly presented by Northern Beaches Council and supported by the Northern Region Network of Councils - Lane Cove, Mosman, North Sydney, City of Ryde, Willoughby City, Hornsby, Ku-ring- gai and Hunters Hill Council

If you require any further information or have any questions; please don't hesitate to contact the council via: sasha.Lucius@northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au

Many of our parents would already be familiar with this wonderful free resource supported (and subsidised) by the Australian Department of Health. Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) has been around for a while but now has more tailored programs than ever and is very convenient for parents with all of their free programs being online.

We strongly suggest parents have a look at the website and explore the range of resources available. I can confirm, first hand, that the programs have something for everyone and are evidenced-based which mean they really work!

Here is a snip-it (screen shot only - visit the website link below for full details) of the relevant courses available and the commitment for each.

John Williams

Deputy Prinicpal

Bach Ensemble:

KHPS Assembly
Term 2 Week 5 Friday 30 May

All Strings:

Northern Beaches Instrumental Festival
Saturday 31 May
St Luke's Grammar, Dee Why

Session 1: 9:30 am
Amadeus arrive 9:00am

Session 2: 11:00am
Beginners arrive 10:30am

Session 3: 1:00pm
Bach arrive 12:30pm

Session 4: 3:00pm
Corelli arrive 2:30pm

Please note that all Strings Sessions will be held at St Luke’s Grammar Dee Why. This is a change of venue for those that have attended the NBIF in previous years so please take note.

All students please arrive 30 minutes before your session time to meet the conductor and tune instruments. Please let your conductor or group coordinator know this week if your child cannot attend this festival.

World Music Day

Sunday 22 June
KHPS

KHPS Strings Committee

Couscous Royal
Parents dinner & dancing evening
Saturday 17 May, 6:00pm - 11:00pm

Last chance! Don’t miss out. Get your tickets by Tuesday 13 May, 11:59pm.

All FANS members and alumni in the Anglophone stream, Francophone stream and High School classes are welcome.

The evening includes a delicious catered meal of Couscous Royal and beverages. For dessert, enjoy authentic mint tea and some fruit. 

After the meal there will be music and dancing. Have a blast in the themed photo booth for a souvenir pic with friends! 

Get Your Tickets

Ticket sales close Tuesday 13 May, 11:59pm

World Music Day

Sunday 22 June, 10:00am - 4:00pm

This whole-school event is hosted and organised by KHPS, with the help of the P&C and FANS. This is the 4th edition of World Music Day at KHPS, featuring multiple stages to hear our school's bands, strings, and choirs perform.

To grow the event, the school will be welcoming other bands, strings and choirs from across the Northern Beaches and North Shore to create an even more musical day! 

Bring your family and friends to enjoy a musical day, along with fresh food and fun games.  

As this is a fundraising event for the P&C and FANS, there will be a need for parent volunteers to make the day a success. Please stay tuned for a sign-up sheet.