BIDWILL Public School

September

23rd - 27th     Book Week (Reading is our Super Power)

25th    Chase your Dreams

26th    Book Parade

             Author Visit - Monsters in my Wardrobe

             Grandparents Day

             Big Bidwill Book Bonanza

27th     Last day of Term 3 (Friday)

October

14th     First Day of Term 4 (Monday)

16th     Chase your Dream

17th     Sydney West Athletics

23rd     Chase your dreams

              Stage 3 Disco

24th      First Foot Forward

29th      Group Photos

30th     Chase your dreams

             Public Speaking Competition

Don't forget - Book Week starts next Monday 23rd September with our inaugural Character Parade, Author Visit ("Monsters in my Wardrobe") and Grandparents Day all held on the Thursday 26th September.

This years theme is 'Reading is my Secret Power' and reading does indeed give us secret powers: the power to walk in the shoes of others through their stories, the power to escape into other worlds and the power to improve vocabulary and imagination.

We welcome all families to come and celebrate children's literature and join in on the fun!

The Scholastic Book Fair arrives at Bidwill this Thursday!!

The book fair will be open to students and parents to make purchases at the following times:

Monday – Thursday Week 10

• before school

at lunch 2 and
after school

There will be books as well as posters, pencils and other stationery items for sale. Items start from $2.00 so there is something for everyone.

Plus every dollar spent in our school book fair helps the library buy more books for students to borrow.

As part of Book Week, next Thursday 26th September at 9.15am we will be hosting an Authors Visit in the school hall.

Mark Penzak's performance Monsters in My Wardrobe is an exquisitely crafted children's theatre about something as everyday as a wardrobe becoming a set, bursting with secret doors, pop-up monsters and magical effects.

Notes for the visit were sent home again this week, please return the signed note (cost of $5) to the office no later that Wednesday 25th September so that your child can enjoy the exciting experience!

The Bidwill Festival last weekend saw a range of activities and entertainment for the whole family, including arts and craft stalls, food stalls, rides, workshops and live performances.

It was an opportunity for Bidwill Public School to showcase our school and the talents of our amazing students at the event including performances by our Bidwill Choir, Pacific Islander (PI) Group, Young and Deadlies, The Bidwill Beats and the MoB (Masters of Bidwill).

Well done to our students and dedicated staff who have worked hard all year to fine tune their performances. Can’t wait to do it all again next year!

View more photos from the day in our gallery here.

Last week our Years 3-6 students were excited to receive beautiful new reading libraries for their classes. Students were surveyed to find out what they liked to read and quality books were purchased for them to use in their classrooms. Every child now has their own individual book box to store the books they are reading. Happy Reading!

The Mt Druitt-Minchinbury Public Speaking Competition started off with a fantastic audience and great speakers. Congratulations to our class finalists however, there can only be one winner from each grade.

Thanks to our impartial judges; Mrs Dhingra, Mrs Mahli and Mrs Blaxland for helping to decide who will be representing our school using the strict public speaking criteria.

Class Winners:

5S: Alex

5/6K: Tamati and Zoe

5/6M: Qadria and Hayal

5/6P: Caitlyn and Montana

Stage 3 Overall winners: Zoe (Year 6) and Caitlyn (Year 5)

Stage 2 Overall Winners: Bianca (Year 3) and Summer (Year 4)

Year 6 visited Chifley College, Bidwill Campus for a taste of high school life. Two periods, running consecutively in Agriculture and Geography for an hour. The students were divided into two groups and both groups experienced the lessons and were highly engaged during these classes.  Year 6 students fed sheep and cattle; tasted honey, fresh from the honeycombs; ate edible flowers and visited the Chifley vegetable garden and for Geography the students learnt about the Water Cycle through hands on activities and demonstrations. We thank the high school teachers for taking the time to prepare our students for next year.

A representative from Sea Australia visited our Year 6 students to help develop their knowledge on Surf safety  (www.seaaustralia.com.au) for preparation when we visit Manly in Term 4. It was a very informative session.

There are many benefits your child will gain from arriving on time to school. Arriving on time ensures your child doesn’t miss out on the important learning activities that happen early in the day when they are most alert, it helps them learn about routines and commitment, and it makes children feel good about themselves! 

This term we are making it even more exciting to arrive on time. Every child who is in line, on time, by 9 will receive a ticket to go into the weekly and end of term draw for some amazing prizes! But remember - they need to be in line, on time, by 9 if their name is drawn to receive the prize.

Congratulations to the following students for winning a prize in the borrowing raffle:

Week 4 – Elizabeth KC and Matilda 2/3P

Week 5 – Elizabeth KC and Elizabeth 2/3P

Week 9 – Tepa 1/2H and Bianca 3/4M

Don’t forget to bring in a library bag so you can borrow and go in the draw to win a prize!!

If you need a library bag, you can buy one off Mrs Blaxland for only $2!!

Any students with overdue books will be getting a letter sent home this week asking for them to be returned. Students are allowed to borrow books for 2 weeks at a time. If they wish to borrow the same books again they can always re-borrow them for another 2 weeks. Please ensure that students return their library books on time.

Starting school is a significant event in the life of children and their families. Strong relationships and information sharing between families, early childhood settings and schools help support a child's successful transition to school. Find out all that we have to offer your child in 2020 at our Kindergarten Orientation days commencing on the 14th November, 2019. Meet our friendly teachers and staff, and visit our learning and play areas. 

The following resources may be helpful in getting your child ready to start school.

Getting ready for primary school – a booklet with tips and checklists to help parents prepare their child for Kindergarten.

Daisy's First Day – a children's book about Daisy the koala on her first day at primary school.

A Special Place – a children's book showing what it's like to go to school.

The idea of preschool can be a bit daunting for many parents. You may feel like your little one is growing up too fast. Don’t worry! Preschool is a time when your child will have lots of fun with children their own age. We look forward to welcoming new and existing families to our Bidwill Preschool community. Find out all that we have to offer your child in 2020 at our Preschool Orientation days starting on the 14th November 2019. Meet our friendly teachers and staff, and visit our learning and play areas. 

Stage 1 and Class 2/3P will be attending an excursion to watch the Sydney Symphony at the Seymour Centre in Chippendale. The excursion will be held on the 7th of November, 2019. Students will be catching a bus to and from the venue. Students will need to be a school at 8.30am for role call and pre excursion procedures. The buses will be leaving promptly at 9.00am. Further details will be sent out in Week 10.

Your children’s online world is as much a part of their life as offline, so it is crucial that you are as involved in supporting their online well-being as you are their physical health. 

Help your children safely navigate their digital world and educate them to avoid harmful online experiences. Your support and guidance can give your children the confidence to make sound decisions online — and ask for help when they need it.

Learn the basics of online safety here.

Our Preschool to Year 2 Athletics Carnival was held in week 7 of this term. What a fantastic day for all our children as they demonstrated fundamental movement skills and great sportsmanship, participating in a range of fun and exciting activities. We would like to thank all the families and friends who joined us to cheer on the children. 

View more photos from the day in our gallery here.

Our Primary Athletics Carnival for students in Years 3-6 and those in Year 2 turning 8 this year was held on 8th August. It was a great day for everyone with our students demonstrating their athletic talent and most importantly having fun. Thank you to the parents and families who braved the wind and cheered their children on!

View more photos from the day in our gallery here.