5 June 2025

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

National Reconciliation Week is held from the 27^th May to 3^rd June.

The National Reconciliation Week (NRW) 2025 theme, ‘Bridging Now to Next’, reflects the ongoing connection between past, present and future.

At Blacktown South Public School classes completed a range of activities to learn about the importance of reconciliation and our journey towards reconciliation. This included all students completing the suggested ‘Community Installation Activity’, which involved using the beautiful artwork by the Kalkadoon woman, Bree Buttenshaw, as inspiration. All students were encouraged to reflect upon their efforts towards reconciliation and to express what actions we can do together towards a reconciled future. The collective artworks are now displayed in classroom windows.

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Year 3-6 Athletics Carnival

We were fortunate to be able to hold our annual Years 3-6 Athletics Carnival this week. After a cold and misty morning, the skies cleared to a beautiful winter’s day with mostly warm sunny skies throughout the day at the Blacktown Athletics Centre.

Students attending on the day had the opportunity to compete in a range of track events including the 100, 200 and 800 metre races.  There was also a range of fun novelty events for students to participate in throughout the day.  It was fantastic to see so many students compete.

Students progressing through to the Zone Carnival which will be held in Term 3, will be informed next term once the Field Events being held at school are finalised.

Thank you to Mr Lee-Eyles and Mr Emerson for coordinating such a terrific day.

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Synergy Dance Festival

I would like to wish the Blacktown South Performance Troupe, all three dance groups and Mrs Harvey-Phillips, all the very best at the Synergy Dance Festival. These three dance groups of very talented students will be performing on Thursday 19^th June at the Evans Theatre, Penrith.

P&C Loose Coin Collection

Just a reminder that the P&C are holding their annual Loose Coin Collection in June to raise money to support and renew the home reader program operating at Blacktown South PS. Please keep sending your loose change or any coins to help us raise lots of money for new books.

P&C Meeting

Our next P&C meeting will be held in the school’s Club Hub on Friday 13^th June, at 9.20am. All are most welcome to attend.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Midyear parent teacher interviews will be offered in the last week of this term on Tuesday 1^st and Wednesday 2^nd July. These interviews will be face-to-face interviews.

An online booking process will be available from next week. Please watch for more detailed communication to be sent home early next week. 

For families who need interpreter support, these interviews will be held in Week 9, over three afternoons – Monday 23^rd June to Wednesday 25^th June. Our EALD teachers have been busy contacting families and booking in these interview times this week.

Andrew Bowmer - Principal

Cultural Calendar for June

Dear Parents,

I endeavour to include as many cultural events as possible, unfortunately I do accidently miss some. If I have missed an important cultural event for your culture or religion please inform me so I can correct it in the coming newsletter. Thanks for your help.

June 5^th - Constitution Day – Denmark

June 6^th - National Day- Sweden

June 7^th - Eid Al Adha (Muslim) is a significant annual Islamic observance for Muslim communities across Australia. It is also known as the Feast of Sacrifice or Festival of Sacrifice as it commemorates Ibrahim’s (Abraham) willingness to sacrifice his son to God.

June 8^th - Pentecost/Whitsunday (Christian) celebrated on the seventh Sunday after Easter, commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ.

June 8^th - Bounty Day – Norfolk Island – Is the Anniversary (Bounty) Day which celebrates the anniversary of the arrival of the Pitcairn Islanders to Norfolk Island. The Pitcairners were the descendants of the infamous English sailors of mutiny on the Bounty fame and the Tahitian women who, under their leader Fletcher Christian began a new life on isolated Pitcairn Island.  After outgrowing tiny Pitcairn, the community, Queen Victoria gave Norfolk Island to the 8 island families.

June 9^th - King’s Birthday Holiday (NSW)

June 10^th - Portugal Day – Portugal

June 12th - National Day- Russian Federation, Independence Day- Philippines

June 16^th - Guru Arjan’s Dev Ji Martyrdom (Sikh). Guru Arjan Dev Ji was the first martyr of Sikh faith, who was executed on the orders of Mughal Emperor Jahangir.

June 17^th - National Day- Iceland

June 21^st - Winter Solstice

June 23^rd - National Day- Luxembourg

June 25^th - National Day- Croatia, National Day- Slovenia, Independence Day- Mozambique

June 26^th - National Day- Madagascar

June 27^th - Independence Day – Djibouti

June 27th - Hijra/Islamic New Year (Muslim)

June 29^th – National Day- Seychelles

June 30^th - Independence Day- Democratic Republic of Congo

Important Australian Milestones

June 3^rd - Mabo Native Title High Court Decision 1992

June 11^th - Commonwealth of Australia Racial Discrimination Act 1975

June 26^th - Australia joined the United Nations 1945

Principal’s Reading Awards

Congratulations to the following students from Kindergarten – Year 6 who have been awarded the Principal’s Reading award for 100 nights of home reading.

Attendance Matters

Regular attendance at school is essential for students to achieve quality life outcomes. Schools, in partnership with parents, are responsible for promoting the regular attendance of students.

Education for your child is important and regular attendance at school is essential for your child to achieve their educational best and increase their career and life options. Blacktown South Public School strives to work in partnership with parents to encourage and support regular attendance of children and young people. When your child attends school every day, learning becomes easier and your child will build and maintain friendships with other children.

On occasion, your child may need to be absent from school. Justified reasons for student absences may include: 

• being sick, or having an infectious disease 
• having an unavoidable medical appointment 
• being required to attend a recognised religious holiday 
• exceptional or urgent family circumstance (e.g. attending a funeral)

Following an absence from school you must ensure that within 7 days you provide the school with a verbal or written explanation for the absence if you have not completed a notification on the day of absence via sZapp or calling the office. However, if the school has not received an explanation from you within 2 school days, the school may contact you to discuss the absence or an unexplained absence letter could be sent home.

We are working hard to reduce our levels of unexplained absences and your help in this matter is greatly appreciated. Remember that an email will be sent to the main carer on the day of an absence if there has not been an explanation prior to 10.30am on the day of the absence.

Explanations can be written - a note from home, on the SZapp notifications (our preferred option) or they can be verbal through a phone call or visiting the school front office in person. Please avoid giving verbal reasons to class teachers unless they have made a direct phone call home.

Working together, we can help improve student attendance rates.

#Attendance Matters

PBL

Hello Blacktown South Families,

Welcome to Week 6! This is the PBL Team’s third newsletter article for Term 2.

Over the past fortnight, our students have been learning about appropriate behaviour in the toilets. It’s been fantastic to see so many students showing what it means to be Safe, Respectful Learners in this area. Great job, everyone!

This fortnight, our focus shifts to the bottom oval expectations.

Before heading to the bottom oval, please check the playground roster to see if it’s your year group’s turn. When it’s your day, there are plenty of enjoyable activities to choose from—like football, cricket, tips, and oz-tag. While tackling and bull rush are not permitted, there are lots of other fun games to play. You can bring footballs, cricket sets, soccer balls, frisbees, and grip balls to use on the oval.

To help keep everyone safe:

• Please don’t climb on the goal posts
• Always use the stairs to safely enter and leave the area
• Leave food behind before going down to play

Areas to avoid (out-of-bounds):

• Behind, between, or underneath buildings
• Garden areas
• Behind the silver seats and down the embankment
• Stairs leading to the back gate
• Sloping grass area and the gutter along the fence line
• Car park

By following these expectations, we can all enjoy a safe and fun time on the bottom oval. Let’s keep being Safe, Respectful Learners!

Have a wonderful fortnight!

The PBL Team.

Year 5

As part of Reconciliation Week, Year 5 designed and displayed native plants, created by Kalkadoon woman Bree Buttenshaw, which are known for regenerating after fire and thriving through adversity − symbolise our collective strength and the possibilities of renewal. This is a time for growth, reflection, and commitment to walking together.

We discussed what Reconciliation Week means for all Australians and what we can do to bring awareness to what has occurred in our country’s history. ‘Bridging Now to Next’ calls on all Australians to step forward together, to look ahead and continue the push forward as past lessons guide us.

Twenty-five years ago, Corroboree 2000 brought together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous leaders in a historic call for reconciliation. We continue that work in 2025, inviting all Australians to join us in Bridging Now to Next – building a more united and respectful nation.

Year 3 Excursion

In week 5, our year 3 classes went on a very historical and exciting place to The Rocks. Over there a lady told us lots of things that happened in the first contact. We all got to wear some cards on our necks, and it had information about a certain person. Let me tell you something about Mary Riebey and James Bloodworth.

One significant person, Mary Riebey, lived in those days. She was born in 1777. She was a convict because she stole a horse and for stealing a horse, she got 20 lashes! After a few years, she got married to a rich man and she started companies, and she also worked for a horse breeder. She became a successful woman. Since she was very rich, she made new hospitals and schools. Today, Mary Reibey is on our 20 dollar note.

Another important figure we learned about was James Bloodworth. He was a convict, but he was the only builder and bricklayer. He married Sarah Bellamy. James Bloodworth was making a house that he needed lime. He couldn’t find any, so he went to the beaches to find shells and some other materials.

In conclusion, whenever you go to the city, always go to the Rocks – it is very fun!

Stage 3

This term in RFF, Stage 3 has been focussing on the theme of ‘The Circus’ in dance.The ringmaster has kept us fit and warm with energetic and strengthening exercises. We've been juggling through the different choreographic techniques and have enjoyed clowning around together.

Strad Upright Piano – Free to a good home

113 years old German Piano good for a beginner player. Has a nice sound and very good mechanisms.

The owner is happy to contribute to the cost of removal for relocation.

Please contact the school if interested.

P&C and Uniform Shop

Our Parent and Community organisation is managed by a dedicated team of parent volunteers. Our objective is to engage with the school community and secure funding to enhance school facilities, equipment, and student support.

Term 2 updates 

Term 2 fundraisers and key dates to put in your calendars:

• Loose Change Drive - has commenced and will run through until the 27th June.

Students are encouraged to bring in loose change to put in the money box in their classrooms.

The winning class gets a pizza party and the money raised goes towards purchasing home readers and new books for the library.

• Crazy Socks Day – This event will be held Thursday 3rd July. Socks will be available to purchase from next week online and from the uniform shop.

• State of Origin Donut Day – This event will be held on Wednesday 18th June. Presale has begun and can be purchased online or fill out the note and send back to school. 

• Colour fun run - We will be sending information on the colour fun run in the coming weeks. This year's colour run will be bigger and better then ever!!! This event will be on Thursday 7th August. 

All proceeds of our fundraising events go towards our fundraising goals..

Should you wish to volunteer your assistance at these events or throughout the year, please contact us. We are always seeking volunteers, and it's an excellent opportunity to build community connections.

Uniform Shop

Our uniform shop's opening hours and days are:

Mondays and Thursdays, from 9:20 am to 10:20 am weekly. 

Winter stock is readily available in all sizes and styles so please come and see us as Winter is just around the corner.

Sport shorts have arrived in all sizes. We are however awaiting delivery on Sport polos - these have a significant delay due to the factory changing locations. We do have a variety in stock but currently no size 8 polos available. Please come and see us and we can help you get the appropriate size. 

We have an abundance of hats available to purchase including Legionares, Caps and microfibre bucket hats. 

We also offer a secondhand rack with prices starting at just $2. We gratefully accept uniform donations, and all proceeds benefit the P&C. Just drop them off to us during shop hours. 

Alternatively you can order online via the link provided, these will be placed in your child's teacher's pigeon hole for distribution. We will endeavour to complete these purchase on Mondays and Thursdays. 

Please like our P&C/Uniform shop Facebook page for updates.

Business donations are very much welcome. 

On our P&C website we have added the option "P&C contribution" (link below).

This is optional but it would be a great help if each family of our school could help with a donation. Thank you.

Digital Entertainment book 

This fundraiser is available to be purchased all year. The digital entertainment book is conveniently available through an app. It is full of savings on entertainment, dining, travel, activities and much more. By purchasing through our link, the P&C receive a percentage of the total, contributing towards our fundraising goals. Please purchase through the link below:

If you too would like to join our team of volunteers, please contact us at:

pc.bsps@outlook.com.au or Renee on 0415859158.

Notes

Please click below for any notes that have gone home in the past that you might have missed:

Community News

At Blacktown South Public School, we support our local community. Click on the links for further information.

School Contacts

Blacktown South Public School
183 Flushcombe Road
Blacktown NSW 2148
Ph: 9622 6034, 9622 2449
Fax: 9831 2379
Email: blacktowns-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Principal: Mr Andrew Bowmer
Deputy Principals: Mrs Kathy Price, Mrs Renee Radecki (Monday to Wednesday) and Mrs Sathiya Segaram (Thursday to Friday)
Assistant Principals - APCI: Miss Raelene Rillera, Ms Amanda Sheaves and Mrs Sathiya Segaram.
Assistant Principals:      Kindergarten           Miss Krystal Evangelou
                                        Year 1                    Miss Matilda Lee
                                        Year 2                    Miss Fiona Pearce
                                        Year 3                     Mrs Hannah Casley
                                        Year 4                    Mrs Amy Charlesworth
                                        Year 5                    Miss Alyce Rogers
                                        Year 6                    Mr Patrick Lee-Eyles
                                        Specialist Teachers Mrs Panayiota Zouriakas

Senior Administration Manager: Mrs Claire Dobbie
School Administration Officers: Mrs Robyn Taylor, Ms Doris Mifsud,
 Miss Daphne Manivong, Mrs Melinda Cooper and Ms Tara Shipway

School Counsellor:  Ms Lisa Harvey, Ms Olivia Parrott and Ms Josephine Cali

P&C Association
President:  Renee Tsingolis
Vice President:  Mandi Ashraf
Treasurer: Sarah Noor
Secretary: Hayley Hutchison
Assistant Secretary: Position Vacant
Assistant Treasurer: Position Vacant

Uniform Shop Committee: 
Manager: Hayley Hutchison
Sarah Noor, Melissa Wilson, Effie Browne, Renee Tsingolis and Mandi Ashraf.