04 July 2025

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Shooting Star Assemblies

Always a highlight of our school year is our Shooting Star Assemblies. It was great to be able to hold our first Shooting Star Assemblies for 2025 on Monday. Many students, over 350, were recognised with their next award level. It was great to see 47 students receive their Shooting Star Pin, and six students receive a South Star Medal, our highest awards.

Congratulations to all our wonderful students for the way they embrace our school expectations each day – ‘To be Safe, Respectful Learners’.

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Synergy Dance Festival

Congratulations to our three wonderful Dance Groups, who performed at the Synergy Dance Festival last week on Thursday afternoon and evening at the Evan Theatre, Penrith. They were absolutely fantastic. A huge thanks to Mrs Harvey-Phillips for all her work coordinating the groups.

Thank you to the many parents and staff that supported this activity.

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Term 2 PSSA Finals

Congratulations to our Junior and Senior Cricket, AFL and European Handball teams who all made the grand finals last Friday. A special congratulations to Senior AFL and Junior European Handball teams who won and became premiers. Thanks to our great coaches who put in so much work training their teams - Mr Dean, Mr Emerson, Mr Velonas and Mr McMurtrie. Thanks to the many parents that supported the teams on the day.

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Multicultural Public Speaking Competition

Congratulations to the 4 students who represented our School in the local finals of the Multicultural Public Speaking Competition on Thursday 19^th June. A special thanks to Ms Banoub for all her work preparing our students.

Parent-Teacher Interviews

Thank you, parents and caregivers, for your support of our decision to postpone the Tuesday night Parent Teacher Interviews. The weather conditions on Tuesday were atrocious and would have made for a very miserable time for all concerned.

Though the conditions were not perfect it was great to be able to hold the Wednesday Interviews. Thank you to all that were able to attend.

Rescheduled Interviews

The postponed Parent Teacher Interviews are planned to be held on Tuesday 29th July, Week 2 Term 3.

We are simply moving the already booked times to the new date.

If the date and/or time is no longer suitable for you, please go online and cancel or swap to a different time, if time slots are available.

If available times are not suitable, please contact the school office.

Thank you for your support and understanding.

A note has been sent home with further details.

SRC Crazy Sock and Hair Day

What a colourful and crazy event, Crazy Sock and Hair Day was held yesterday Thursday 3^rd July. Thanks to all the students and staff who wore colourful crazy socks and crazy hair. Your gold coin donations will go to our school charity, Stewart House. $497.30 was raised. A great effort.

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P&C Loose Coin Collection

The P&C Loose Coin Collect came to an end last Friday. The money raised is spent on new home readers and library books. Thank you all for your generosity. Special thanks to the P&C for your efforts with this fundraiser. Congratulations to the winning class 3/4S.

Premier’s Spelling Bee

Congratulations to Benjamin Lee our junior representative and Gurfateh Singh our senior representative for the Regional Finals of the Premier’s Spelling Bee to be held in Term 3. We wish our representatives every success.

NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee) Week is an Australian observance lasting from the first Sunday in July until the following Sunday.  NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

NAIDOC Week 2025 will be held nationally from Sunday 6^th July and continue through to Sunday 13^th July. The first week of the school holidays.

The 2025 NAIDOC Theme is: The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy

As we enter 2025, NAIDOC Week marks a powerful milestone: 50 years of honouring and elevating Indigenous voices, culture, and resilience. The 2025 theme, "The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy," celebrates not only the achievements of the past but the bright future ahead, empowered by the strength of our young leaders, the vision of our communities, and the legacy of our ancestors.

The NAIDOC journey began as a movement for recognition and rights, sparked by Indigenous communities who saw a future built on justice and equality. Over the decades, it has grown into a powerful national celebration, a testament to the enduring strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. As we commemorate this 50-year legacy, we also look forward, honouring the next generation who will carry the torch, shaping the future with courage, insight, and deep respect for our roots. Guided by the wisdom of our Elders and the groundwork laid by our forebears, each NAIDOC Week reinforces our vision for an Australia where Indigenous voices are not only heard but lead the way.

Quoted from National NAIDOC Committee

P&C Colour Fun Run – Fundraiser

Information was sent home last week promoting the big P&C Fundraiser for this year, a Colour Fun Run.

We are encouraging families to get behind this great event through registering online and collecting sponsorship. Students who raise money will qualify for a great range of prizes.

Please keep an eye out for information and permission notes about this event. The Colour Fun Run is planned to happen as part of Education Week in Week 3, on Thursday afternoon, 7^th August.

Education Week – Week 3, Term 3 - Monday 4/8/25 - Friday 8/8/25

Parents and Carers, please mark in your calendars the dates for Education Week 2025.

On Monday 4^th August we will be holding an Open Classrooms Morning, so parents and grandparents can visit classrooms.

School Art Show - the school hall will host the 2025 K-6 Art Show.  Parents are welcome to visit on Monday 4^th August during open classrooms, before school or at the end of the day for the entire week.

Performance Arts Groups – School Performance Day - Wednesday 6^th August.

We invite the parents and carers of our various Performing Arts Groups – Dance, Recorder and Choir, to attend a performance under the school COLA. More details to come early next term.

P&C Colour Fun Run – to be held on Thursday 7^th August.

We look forward to seeing you at Blacktown South Public School during Education Week 2025.  

End of Term 2 and Term 3 Dates

Friday 4^th July:          Last day of Term 2 for students and teachers.

Saturday 5^th July to Sunday 20^th July:  School Holidays.

Monday 21^st July:     Staff Development Day - Staff only attend.

Tuesday 22^nd July:  Students return to school.

End of Term

I wish all families a very safe and restful school holidays. I look forward to seeing you all next term.

Andrew Bowmer - Principal

Cultural Calendar for July

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 26th - National Day- Madagascar

June 27th - Independence Day – Djibouti

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

June 29th – National Day- Seychelles

June 30th - Independence Day- Democratic Republic of Congo

July 1st – National Day- Burundi, Canada Day- Canada, National Day- Somalia

July 6th – July 13th – NAIDOC Week – Australia

July 3rd - National Day- Belarus

July 4th – Independence Day- USA, Liberation Day - Rwanda

July 5th – Independence Day - Venezuela, Independence Day- Cape Verde

July 6th – Dalai Lama’s Birthday, National Day – Malawi, National Day - Comoros

July 7th – National Day- Solomon Islands

July 9th – Independence Day – South Sudan

July 9th – Martyrdom of the Bab- (Baha’i) at the age of 31, the Bab—whose name means “the gate”—had made his declaration as the forerunner of the Promised One and gathered tens of thousands of followers to the Babi religion. He also sparked fierce opposition. Before a crowd in a public square in Persia (modern-day Iran), the Bab was put to death on this date in 1850.

July 10th - Asalha Puja- Dhamma Day is a Theravada Buddhist festival which typically takes place in July, on the full moon of the month of Āsādha. It is celebrated in Cambodia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Laos, Myanmar. Asalha Puja is one of Theravada Buddhism's most important festivals, celebrating Buddha's first sermon.

July 10th - Guru Purnima (Hindu) is a tradition, dedicated to all the spiritual and academic Gurus, who are evolved or enlightened humans, ready to share their wisdom, based on Karma Yoga. It is celebrated as a festival in India, Nepal and Bhutan by Hindus, Jains and Buddhists.

July 10th – Independence Day – Bahamas

July 11th - Anniversary of Mongolian People’s Revolution– Mongolia

July 12th - National Day – Kiribati, National Day – Sao Tome and Principe

July 13th – National Day – Montenegro

July 14th - Bastille Day - The French National Day is the anniversary of Storming of the Bastille, a turning point of the French Revolution, as well as the ‘Fête de la Federation’ which celebrated the unity of the French people on 14 July 1790.

July 14th - Republic Day – Iraq

July 18th - Nelson Mandela International Day (UN)

July 20th - Independence Day- Columbia

July 21st - National Day- Belgium

July 23rd - Anniversary of Revolution – Egypt

July 24th - Charbel’s Feast (Maronite Christian)

July 26th – National Day- Liberia, National Day - Maldives

July 27th – National Tree Day

July 28th - Independence Day – Peru

July 30th - Independence Day- Vanuatu

Important Australian Milestones

July 17th – UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with a Disability ratified by Australia 2008.

Shooting Star Awards

Congratulations to the following students from Kindergarten – Year 6 who have been awarded a Bronze award.

Congratulations to the following students from Year 1 – Year 6 who have been awarded a Silver award.

Congratulations to the following students from Year 1 – Year 6 who have been awarded a Gold award.

Congratulations to the following students from Year 2 – Year 6 who have been awarded a Sapphire award.

Congratulations to the following students from Year 2 – Year 6 who have been awarded their Shooting Star Pin.

Congratulations to the following students from Year 4 – Year 6 who have been awarded a Shooting Star Medallion.   

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

As we head into the end of term, it remains important that your child attends school every single day. Being at school is the best place for students to learn as well as to keep social connections and build life-long skills.  We take this opportunity to thank you all for being so responsive to the new email alerts and keeping us informed about your child's absences. We can still continue to improve in this area and know together we can account for all absences of all students at all times.

We understand that families are eager to see and reconnect with loved ones and take a well-deserved break, but please remember that planned travel should only be taken during scheduled school holidays.  Please keep us informed through our leave application forms available from the front office or school's website.

Students should be at school every day during school terms, including until the end of term, unless they are sick or are absent for a justified reason.

Missing a day here or there may not seem like much, but absences add up and can negatively impact your child's learning and wellbeing. When your child misses one day per fortnight, that's 4 weeks of missed learning in one year. Over an entire school journey this adds up to 1 year of lost learning.

We want to do everything we can to help all students be at school every single day, because every day counts. Remember - attendance matters.

Have a safe and happy holiday and we will see you all back for a new term and maximum attendance when school returns for Term 3, Tuesday 22nd July 2025.

#AttendanceMatters

Kindergarten

Kindergarten has had a fantastic Semester 1! They have adjusted well to school routines and have learnt to become safe respectful learners. The students have enjoyed making friends, playing various games, and discovering new things. They especially love spending time with their Year 6 buddies. Together, they play games, create art, read books, and help each other with technology. It's wonderful to see them playing with their buddies in the playground!

P&C and Uniform Shop

Our Parent and Community organization 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.

Colour Fun Run

The fundraising campaign for our Colour Fun Run has commenced. Students have been provided with details regarding fundraising procedures and the exciting prizes available. The campaign will continue until the Colour Fun Run event, scheduled for Thursday, August 7th. We encourage you to motivate your family and friends to participate in the fundraising efforts. This promises to be an enjoyable event for everyone involved.

Loose Change Drive

3/4S has been declared the winners of the Loose Change Drive. Congratulations to the winning class who will be awarded a class pizza party.

A remarkable $2330.85 was raised during the drive. The funds will be allocated to the purchase of home readers and new library books.

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.

State of Origin Donuts

State of Origin Donut Day was a huge success as per usual. We sold 510 donuts and raised $749.85. Thank you to everyone who helped make this fundraiser a success. 

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 has arrived! 

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.