As we approach the end of the semester and the holiday season, I want to take a moment to reflect on our recent celebrations and achievements while also looking ahead to what is to come.

Celebrating NAIDOC Week

Today, we had the privilege of celebrating NAIDOC Week early at KHPS, beginning with a meaningful smoking ceremony led by Uncle Neil, a respected Guringai Aboriginal elder. Uncle Neil shared the significance of smoking ceremonies as a way to cleanse and welcome everyone into a safe space.

To continue the celebrations, our Aboriginal Education team has planned enriching Aboriginal-themed activities for recess and lunch every day this week. These activities include a yarning circle in the library, making a nature mandala, and our gardening club will be taking special care of our native plants. We also look forward to the colouring competition, with entries due on Thursday. To complete the week, we warmly invite you to join us for our whole school NAIDOC assembly on Friday, July 4, at 1:45 PM in the hall.

The theme for this year’s NAIDOC Week is “The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy.” This powerful theme encourages us to uplift and invest in the emerging generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, honouring the legacies that have paved the way for them.

We also look forward to the stunning artwork titled Ancestral Lines by Jeremy Morgan Worrall, a proud Ngarbal/Gomeroi man. This artwork beautifully encapsulates the knowledge and cultural strength passed down through generations, set against the backdrop of Tenterfield—a reminder of the importance of listening, learning, and leading.

End-of-Semester Achievements
Congratulations to all our students on their end-of-semester reports! This milestone reflects the hard work and dedication each student has shown throughout the semester. I am incredibly proud of our students and wish to acknowledge our teachers for their tireless efforts in preparing these reports. Your commitment to providing constructive feedback is invaluable to our students’ growth and development.

Wishing You Happy Holidays
As we approach the holiday season, I want to wish all our families a happy, safe, and restful break. This is a wonderful opportunity to recharge and create lasting memories with loved ones. Thank you for your continued support throughout the year.

I look forward to welcoming everyone back for another successful semester, filled with new learning opportunities and celebrations.

Congratulations to the following students on their achievement of book awards for their consistent effort in practising and promoting our school values of Respect, Responsibility and Success. 

In Brief: Semester 1 reports will be sent home via Sentral Parent Portal this Friday via Sentral Parent Portal.

Individual student reports will be distributed via Sentral Parent Portal this Friday (4th July).

This report is an extremely important part of the teaching and learning cycle and the prime method for teachers to report to you on your child's progress against the curriculum being delivered.

Teachers put significant time and effort into assessing students and writing highly personalised reports on each child's progress in class against curriculum outcomes using a 5 point scale (3 point scale in Kindergarten) and personalised comments and 'where to next' statements. The reports are then carefully edited in preparation for distribution.

Please see the document below for a guide to how to read the report. You may note that the only major change this semester is the fact that the Department Of Education has recommeneded changing the descriptor word used for the achievement grade of C to the word 'Expected'. This used to be described as 'Sound'. We know this change will finally align with 'common sense' for many of you!

Again this semester, the only School Activities you will see listed above the General Comment is for those activities your child is involved in. We include a great range of extra-curricular and Learning Support activities, but with over 60 activities and groups now represented, it is only possible to list the ones participated in.

Reports will again be digitally distributed through Sentral Parent Portal. Any parents who do not have access to their child's profile through the Sentral Parent Portal App should contact the school via email so that we can ensure you have access prior to report distribution.

Similarly, if you require printed copies, please contact us as soon as possible so that arrangements can be made.

Reading_Your_Report_2025.pdf

Poetry Recitation Competition Results

After an exciting Term 2, the highlight of last week was the announcement of the grade winners of the annual French Poetry Recitation Competition. The champions proudly received their trophies and gathered for a group photo.

Congratulations to the finalists who were awarded a well-deserved certificate!

Poetry Illustration competition winners

Congratulations to the illustration winners! You can admire their work in a short video on Youtube, or you’re welcome to take a look at them in person while they’re on exhibition in the school office this week.

Enrolments - Kindy 2026

Parents can find more information and enrol in the Anglophone or Francophone stream of the French Bilingual Program for Kindy 2026 on the FANS website www.fanssydney.org or please contact the FANS office with questions 02 9975 5038.

There will be an upcoming school tour for interested families on Tuesday 29 July at 9:30am.

Enrol now for Term 3 - French Homework Club for Anglophone stream

Enrol now for the Term 3 French Homework Club for Anglophone stream students.

Students are supervised in a small group setting by a Teacher of French as they complete their weekly French homework. Once their work is finished, students engage in French games and reading.

Monday 3:00pm - 4:00pm, for Anglophone stream students, Years 3 to 6

To enrol, please write with your child’s details to admin@fanssydney.org. This group is available as a separate enrolment at a cost of $25 per session and is invoiced per term.

Term 3 Important Dates                

Petit Paris: Killarney Heights on ABC News

In case you missed it, Killarney Heights and the wonderful KHPS community have been featured in an ABC News online feature by journalist Caroline Riches, and again today on ABC Radio Sydney with an interview featuring FANS GM Anne Bentley. We’re so proud to spread the word about our beautiful suburb and the FANS French bilingual program.

Read the article

Best wishes for the winter school holidays!

Anne Bentley
General Manager FANS

In Term 3, there will be workshops running for Stage 2 and 3 students involving robotics and coding.  If selected, students will participate in the program during lunch/recess and will be taken out of their regular classes after that allocated hour each week. 

Stage 2 students will be using WeDo 2.0 robots. Designed for primary school classrooms, WeDo 2.0 is a hands-on solution that enhances pupils' curiosity and skills in computing and science. The students will participate in the First Lego League Explore Competition where they will work collaboratively to solve an annual robotics challenge. This competition is a non-competitive, hands-on and project-based program geared toward students aged 6-10.   To have the opportunity to participate in this exciting program, students will need to complete a task related to computational thinking to assist in the selection process. This will be held on Wednesday 2nd of July 2025 at lunch, during eating time in Mullinar classroom. If your child cannot attend on the day, a make-up session will be held in Week 1 of Term 3.  

Stage 3 students will be learning how to use and code Lego Spike Prime Robotics sets for use in the First Lego League Challenge Competition. Students will learn to design and build their robots to suit a specific need; including, fitting their robot with sensors. Students will go on to create programs for these robots to overcome certain challenges related to this year’s theme. In addition, the stage 3 students will be working in their teams to create a solution to a real-world problem. They will be collaborating and researching to design their solution and then presenting their ideas to a panel of judges.  

Please be aware that this program attracts a lot of interest, however, a limited number of places are available. With such a busy school offering a diverse range of opportunities, overlap with other programs cannot be avoided. The selection process requires that students demonstrate their high potential and gifted coding capabilities and be able to commit to the program for the duration. 

Elysha Casey
HPGE Coordinator

Over the past two terms, the students in HPGE STEM Coding have been working to develop their own video game! They are working in teams of 2-4 to; create art, music, animations and code to create a game around the theme of journey. They are submitting their games in the Australian Video Game Competition. 

In addition to making their games, the teams need to create a Game Design document. This document outlines the development of their games and the process of creating them. 

The students are submitting their games this week to the competition and we are wishing them all the best. We will run a showcase of their games next term so all students can have a chance to play them in person. 

The excitement of the Killarney Heights Spelling Bee Finals filled the air as students showcased their spelling prowess in two thrilling events held on Tuesday 10 June and Wednesday 11 June.  

Stage 2 Finals 

On Tuesday, June 10th, the Stage 2 Spelling Bee Finals took place, celebrating the remarkable achievements of our finalists who had triumphed in their class spelling bees. The finalists included: Leonie S, Scott E, Chloe R, Ollie WH, Freddie G, George Y, Alice S, Raph C, Anais K, Zach VW, Amelie T, James LC, Hoyoon L, Tim K, Michael C, and Flynn D. 

Contestants faced a variety of challenging words, such as aerate, coagulate, and frivolous, across nine intense rounds. After a thrilling competition, we extend our warmest congratulations to our Stage 2 winner, Leonie S, who will represent Killarney Heights at the upcoming Regional Spelling Bee Final. Our runner-up, Chloe R, also deserves commendation for her impressive performance. 

A heartfelt thank you goes out to Mrs. Riddiough, our announcer for the day, as well as Axel S and Juliette S, who expertly chaired the event. We are grateful to our dedicated hall and tech crew—Axel B, Seb C, and Elyne S—and to Mrs. Davidson for presenting the medals and certificates.
 

Stage 3 Finals 

The Stage 3 Spelling Bee Finals followed on Wednesday, June 11th, showcasing another round of exceptional talent among our students. Finalists included Zach N, Edward C, Jonah B, Chloe P, Hugo K, Arthur B, Seb C, Evan B, Elise C, Max K from Swords, and Jack Y and Yanis A. 

Challenging words such as abysmal, bamboozle, and anonymous tested the contestants through eight exhilarating rounds. Congratulations to our Stage 3 winner, Zach N, who will also represent Killarney Heights at the Regional Spelling Bee Final, and to our runner-up, Seb C. 

We appreciate Ms. Kennedy for her role as announcer and extend our thanks to Ben L and Azure H for chairing the event. Our tech crew, Axel B and Elyne S, did a fantastic job, and Mr. Williams deserves recognition for presenting the certificates. 

Both events highlighted the hard work and dedication of our students, and we look forward to seeing Leonie and Zach represent Killarney Heights at the regional level. 

Let’s continue to encourage our students to embrace the joy of learning and the power of words!

Wendy Haberle and Andrew Gold
Spelling Bee Coordinators

Last week, Year 3 students finished off their literacy unit on ‘Wandi’ with an amazing incursion where they got to get up close and personal to two purebred dingoes, Flynn and Bindi. 

Some students from Portmarnock shared their experiences: 

"My experience with the dingoes was awesome. It was so cool. I really want to do it again. The dingoes were really nice and cute and it was such a good surprise." Alice.G

"Meeting the dingoes was so fun and amazing. I loved meeting the dingoes, it was one of the best experiences in my life. It was really fantastic and I learnt alot about dingoes." Sebastian.G

"I really liked it because I have a cat and dingoes act like cats and Flynn was fluffy and soft. I loved patting them." Olivia.R 

"The dingoes made me feel like dingoes should be loved and cared for and I think that we should be breeding dingoes and it wasn't right what the farmers and hunters used to do." Belinda.B

"Last week on Tuesday we were eating crunch and sip and then we heard we were meeting dingoes. Their names were Bindi and Flynn. It was very exciting. Some people got to touch them. I really liked meeting them. At the end we got cool stickers." Harper.E

Courtney Brennan
Classroom Teacher

On Friday 27th June we went to Thornleigh for Boccia. We versed  lots of different schools. We went on a mini bus that had seat belts. Mrs Kenny loves seat belts. When we got there we versed Galston Public School. Then we had recess and then we went to a playground and then Mrs Kenny did bubbles and we had to pop the bubbles. After lunch we versed Willougby Public School and then we came back to school and then we had to go back to our classes. We came 2nd place, we versed Hornsby Public School. Who went: Mrs Kenny, Mrs W, Mrs T, Mrs Macbride, Chela, Bub, Hagop, Chloe, Seb, Owen, Belinda, Electra and Liam.  Also The Parents came as well. The End.

By Hagop L

A sincere thank you to Bub and Chela for their training; we couldn't have done it without you! 

It’s wonderful that students are enjoying the Ultimate Frisbee program during Term 2. Ultimate Frisbee is a fun sport that helps students stay active, work together as a team, and have a good time. It’s also a sport that everyone can participate in, no matter their skill level.
 
Audrey from Quilty gave a positive insight into the program:

"I really enjoyed playing ultimate frisbee. I thought that frisbee was just throwing a plastic disc around, but it is much more than that. Daniel (Our Coach) taught us about the backhand throw and the crocodile catch. It really simplified things. Although the catching part was really hard, I got better every time. 

The best part was the actual game. We learnt all the rules in a short amount of time, and we started playing, everything I'd learnt that day made it easier. Daniel was a really good coach.

I would definitely do that next week, or even every week if I had to. It was that fun."

Sean Mackay 
School Sport Coordinator 

Student Voices from the KHPS

World Music Day 22 June 2025

At the KHPS World Music Day you could see incredible bands, watch super brave people sing in the choir or by themselves in the multi-purpose court, and see a bunch of people play their instruments in a solo, duo or trio at the playground COLA. You could also eat tasty popcorn, cakes and fairy floss and if you came early enough you could win wonderful Tombola jars. The music festival was really fun and if you missed it this year you should come next year, and if you came this year you should definitely come again! Jimmy K, Y5, clarinet

The string session at World Music Day was impressive. I saw a high school group, an Orchestra, an intermediate group and lots of other string players. Earlier in the day I saw the beginner strings playing and the harps. World Music Day was a great opportunity to enjoy lots of different music.  Margot, Y5, violin

I loved the songs that I sang and played. Charline, Y3, violin and choir

I really enjoyed playing a solo on my cello and then getting to play my cello songs on the piano as well. It was nice to perform in front of people and have them listen to me. I also really loved the performance from the harp group because it sounded pretty cool! Alice, Y2, cello and piano

I was so excited and a little bit nervous to play the violin at World Music Day. It was fun to show everyone what I have learned. I am happy I had a chance to play! Triss, Y1, violin

Corelli Strings FOIM Combined Schools Rehearsal

Students from the Corelli (FOIM) String Ensemble took part in the preliminary rehearsal for the “Festival of Instrumental Music” at Meadowbank Public School on Wednesday 25 June. Rehearsing alongside almost 200 other students from local public schools, our young musicians represented our school with enthusiasm and focus. They practised both with and without their music sheets as they work towards performing from memory on the big stage at the Sydney Opera House in September. The day went really well, and the ensemble is sounding better than ever. We now look forward to the big event!

I went to the Arts Unit combined strings rehearsal last Wednesday at Meadowbank PS. There were 180 kids from 25 different schools all playing together in the same room. We played the three pieces that we have been learning at school and at the end we tried to play them from memory. There were 20 of us from Killarney and Forestville PS on the bus going there. It sounded amazing when everyone was playing together in time. Margot S, violin, Y5

Term 3 Dates

• Corelli Strings play at Stage 3 Assembly Week 2, Friday 1 August
• Education Week is week 3: stay tuned for updates regarding the open morning at KHPS;
• Amadeus and Bach Strings perform at Australian Youth Arts Festival Saturday 16 August (TBC); Town Hall
• Band Workshop for Training, Intermediate and Senior Bands Sunday 17 August
• Intermediate Band play at Stage 2 Assembly Week 7, Friday 5 September
• Corelli Strings FOIM Concert 6:30 pm Monday 8 September; Opera House
• Beginner Strings play at K-2 Assembly Week 8, Friday 12 September
• NSSWE Band Festival: Training, Intermediate, SCB and Jazz Bands; weekend of 13-14 September 
  
  

KHPS Band & Strings Committee

Kindergarten parents are cordially invited to our Seedling Market on Thursday 3rd July (and Friday 4th if there are leftover seedlings) at 3 pm in the Kindy Canyon. This is an opportunity to purchase a seedling grown by your child's class during our Saltwater Country Science unit. 

The children have worked hard to understand the needs of plants and have responsibly tended to them over the course of the term. All seedlings will be priced at $2. Please note there will be a limited supply of seedlings. For sale will be beans, bok choy, cucumbers, spring onions and radishes. Please remember these were grown by Kindergarten students. 

It may be a fun holiday project to continue growing the seedlings at home and harvesting the produce when ready. All proceeds from our market stall will go towards purchasing additional seeds and plants for the school garden. Looking forward to seeing many of you then. 

Just a quick reminder that we’ll be holding a special P&C meeting this Wednesday, 2 July at 7:00pm, to discuss an urgent funding request to support the purchase of essential laptop equipment for our school.

Meeting details

Date: Wednesday, 2 July
Time: 7:00pm
Location: KHPS Staff Room and via Zoom
Join Zoom Meeting
Passcode: 816134
Agenda: View here

Thank you for your continued support—we hope to see you there!

Warm regards,

KHPS P&C Committee