Principal’s Report

How quickly the weeks fly by with the abundance of events and opportunities that happen at Northbridge.

Inside this newsletter are articles about Tournament of Minds, Lunch with the Stars, author visits, K-2 carnival, RUOK Day, Stewart House Fundraiser and our Father’s Day Breakfast and our Inclusion Noticeboard.

Stewart House Fundraiser

A little bit of history about Stewart House and why the funds raised by our students and families are so important.

Stewart House is a charity that has supported NSW public school children since 1931, founded by Dr. Harvey Sutton and Arthur McGuinness to provide a “preventorium” for malnourished and disadvantaged children during the Great Depression. Funded by businessman Sir Frederick Stewart, the centre opened in 1931, offering a short-term residential respite program that provides dental, optical and  along with education and emotional support. The NSW Teacher’s federation took over the management of the facility in 1937, and today, the NSW Department of Education supports its operations, and provides infrastructure and staffing for the school. It is otherwise funded by donations from DoE teachers and by charitable donations from Department of Education families, making it NSW public education’s charity of choice.

Fathers Day Breakfast

Thank you to our parents (particularly our mums) who provided such an amazing breakfast for our dads last Friday, on behalf of our P&C.

I hope Sunday was a wonderful day for everyone and it provided an opportunity for all our dads to feel celebrated, appreciated, and surrounded by family.

Shrek Jr The Musical

Everyone is excited for our musical. Our dress rehearsal is on Thursday 18^th September during the day. Traditionally, and this year is no exception, we bring our friends from Plunkett St Public School over for our performance, provide the bus to transport them and give them lunch along with a fantastic performance.

I hope you have your tickets for the evening performances for the 23^rd and 24^th September when it will be our very great pleasure to welcome you to the swamp!

Christine Smith

Principal

Student of the Week

Congratulations to the following students who were presented with their Student of the Week certificates at our recent K-6 assembly. Well done!

Inclusion Noticeboard

Stewart House Fundraiser

We held a wonderful mufti day fundraiser for Stewart House on Wednesday and the students enjoyed dressing up to support such a good cause.  It’s not too late to give a donation to Stewart House, a school for disadvantaged children, through our annual donation drive.  If you would care to donate please do so online, and note Northbridge Public School in the company name field, donations over $2 are tax-deductible.  A big thank you to those who have already contributed.

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NPS Lunch with your child’s favourite teacher

Miss Meys was the lucky recipient of our FUNraiser auction prize that was titled “NPS Lunch with your child’s favourite teacher’.  She was chosen by young Mr Shvets (1M) to share a special cafe lunch at ‘The OWL’s cafe and enjoy a lovely time chatting together.  Miss Meys brought along some conversation cards and a lot of valuable chats took place.  If you would like your child to have lunch with their favourite teacher come along to next years FUNraiser and take part in the auction bidding.

K-2 Athletics Carnival

The sun was shining and the excitement was high as our Kindergarten to Year 2 students took to the field for this year’s much-anticipated K–2 Athletics Carnival!

The carnival consisted of students competing in running and skipping races, cheered on by their peers, teachers, and proud families. Adding to this fun was the ever-popular parent balloon race, which brought plenty of laughs (and a few competitive parents!) to the track.

Throughout the day, students rotated through a variety of engaging and inclusive games, including Rob the Nest, Tunnel Ball, Bean Bag Toss, and an exciting Obstacle Course. The teachers even got involved with a walking race against the Year 6 leaders – much to the students delight!

A huge thank you goes out to our incredible Year 6 House Captains and Vice Captains, who led the activities with confidence, kindness, and great leadership. Their support and encouragement helped make the event run smoothly and ensured everyone had a great time.

Thank you to all the parents and carers who came along to watch, cheer, and even participate – your presence made the day extra special.

We’re already looking forward to next year’s carnival!

Fathers Day Breakfast

What a gorgeous sunny morning we experienced last Friday when we held our annual Father’s Day breakfast.  This was a chance to celebrate with our Fathers and Father figures ahead of Fathers Day.

Lisa Eggar and her wonderful troop of helper Mum’s manned the BBQ’s, in order to cook up a fabulous egg and bacon roll for each of the Dads.  As we can see from the beaming faces below your children loved celebrating with you at school.  A big thank you to all the carers who attended.  A additional thank you to all the team that helped make the celebration possible including all the parents that helped to hang the student artworks the afternoon before.

The final message goes to all the Dad’s.  We hope you had a wonderful Father’s Day on Sunday and thank you for making our school more sustainable.  A whopping 97% of you returned your reusable coffee cups as part of the Huskee initiative so they can be washed and repurposed again and will not go to landfill.  Go NPS Dads!

2B’s hot tips for the school holidays

From building blanket forts and ziplinging across your backyard, to baking delicious treats and visiting the park with family and friends, 2B have plenty of creative suggestions to beat the “I’m bored” blues these school holidays! Some students recommend exploring the museum, taking a trip to the beach, or simply spending time reading a favourite book. Others suggested trying something new, like building a challenging Lego creation, painting a masterpiece, or trying out a different sport.

We also think that the school holidays are a great time to recharge! Some of our favourite ideas for treating yourself to a bit of “R & R” include enjoying a movie night with popcorn, playing a favourite board game, or even just relaxing with loved ones.

We hope these ideas inspire you to make the most of the holiday break with fun, adventure, and plenty of special memories together.

ASK RU OK Day

Yesterday was Ask R U OK Day? However we are reminded that we can ask this Any Day because life happens every day.  

Just a reminder that whether it’s a friend, family member, partner, or colleague , the people around us go through life’s ups and downs every day. That’s why we want everyone to feel confident to check in with the people they care about and Ask R U OK? Any Day.

Research has found that those who are regularly asked, ‘are you OK?’ report increased feelings of wellbeing, and we’ve learned that a third of Australians say they’ve been asking others more often over the past year . That means many of us are already showing up for others in meaningful ways, but when it comes to conversations about how we’re really going, some people are less confident than others.

It’s natural to feel a little hesitant, but the good news is nine in ten Australians report feeling grateful, supported and cared for when someone genuinely asks them if they’re OK – and that’s a good reason to give it a go. You might even be having these conversations already without realising.

If you need tips to build your confidence, you can find plenty of free resources on the R U OK website to help you feel more confident to check in with someone you care about. You’ve got this!

Ask R U OK? Any  Day of the year because a conversation could change a life.

Primary School Tennis

Last Saturday evening Harry D (3/4S) and Harry R (3H) competed in the primary schools tennis competition for NPS and came runners up in their division.

They both took home the silver medal.  NPS is so proud of you boys and hope you enjoyed competing.

Lunch with the Stars

On Tuesday, September 2nd, fifteen of our hardworking Library Leaders attended ‘Lunch with the Stars’ in Dee Why, an event organized by the CBCA (Children’s Book Council of Australia) NSW Branch Northern Sydney Sub-branch to celebrate Book Week 2025. Over twenty Australian children’s authors and illustrators were also present, sharing their enthusiasm and valuable experiences with students from a number of schools from the northern Sydney area.

This year the special guests who addressed the luncheon were the awesome author/illustrator Aura Parker, who led a group art lesson, and talented author Nathan Luff who entertained the young guests with wise words and funny anecdotes. An assigned author or illustrator sat at each table – our two tables hosted author Amanda Leiber (‘My giant sea shell’) – and illustrator Jules Faber. The students were able to ask questions and chat about the creative process that leads to the publication of their books. After lunch the students mingled with all the other author/illustrators in the room, getting their autographs and chatting about their books. Our Library Leaders dressed the part (as pirates, inspired by Amanda Leiber’s book and as travellers inspired by the CBCA 2025 theme of ‘Book an Adventure’) and decorated the table to match their themes.

A big thank you to all the parent volunteers that drove the students to and from the event.

“Lunch With The Stars is when local authors come to tell kids about the books they have written, give autographs and have lunch. This year the Library Leaders went to Dee Why RSL to participate. We had two tables with one author per table, one was Jules Faber, the illustrator of Weirdo and on the other table was Amanda Leiber, the author of My Giant Sea Shell. It was great to listen to all the authors tell stories from their books and from their life. It was also very fun going and getting signatures from authors all around the room and even some messages or sketches of characters in their books. Over all, Lunch With The Stars was a great experience and only one of the few amazing things you do as a Library Leader.” – Beatrix R (5B)

“I loved Lunch With The Stars, and it’s just one of the many excitements of being a Library Leader. All of the authors there were really energetic and all had positive personalities. Meeting each of the authors gave me inspiration and perspective for writing my own books. It was also fun collecting signatures and reading all the special messages from each author.” – Sophie F (5B)

Our Library Leaders who attended: Halle B (5B), Amy C (5H), Sophie F (5B), Audrey T (5H), Millie D (5B), Georgie M (5B), Kate S (5B), Beatrix R (5B), Lana M (6H), Natalie B (6H), Sarah C (6L), Grace R (6L), Felicia SL (6L), Emily M (6L) and Sophia S (6H). Pictured with Mrs Parker, Amanda Leiber and Jules Faber.

Mrs Parker (Teacher Librarian)

Tournament Of Minds

Tournament of Minds Sydney North Regional Competition

On Saturday 30th August 2025 two teams from our school competed in the Sydney North Regional Tournament of Minds at UNSW Kensington. Our STEM team, made up of seven skilled students, Tina H (6L), Josh G (6H), Grace R (6L), Amy C (5H) Oscar H (6H), Chloe M (5B), Alice T (5H), tackled a team challenge.  The team presented a prototype, demonstrating its potential impact and showcasing their creative problem-solving and engineering skills. On the day, both teams also faced an unseen Spontaneous Challenge, testing their ability to think quickly, creatively, and work together under pressure. It required rapid idea generation and strong teamwork, which both teams handled exceptionally well.

Throughout the competition, both teams exemplified the core values of Tournament of Minds—teamwork, inclusivity, and creativity. They learned how to compromise and let go of individual ideas in favour of collaborative solutions, strengthening their ability to work as a cohesive unit. By embracing different perspectives and working together, the teams delivered outstanding performances. We are incredibly proud of how they turned these learning experiences into opportunities for growth, demonstrating creativity, teamwork, and resilience throughout the process.

Author Visit – Solli Raphael

On Tuesday 19^th August (week 5) students in years 3 to 6 enjoyed a visit from award-winning and acclaimed writer, speaker, performer, and advocate Solli Raphael.

Solli has authored four books, which have received accolades for their capacity to engage children and teenagers educationally and in poetry and social concerns. His debut book, Limelight, and his second book, Spotlight, were published in 2018 and 2020, respectively. His third book, 29 Things You Didn’t Know About Me, was shortlisted for the inaugural DANZ Children’s Book Award. Solli’s fourth publication, Starlight, was released in February 2025, and aims to guide self-discovery and self-expression in kids and teens.

With Solli’s goal being to make poetry more accessible and relatable for everyone, his school visits engage students and allow him to share some tools to start creating their poetry. Our students experienced this passion firsthand and were able to appreciate the process he follows in order to produce such thought-provoking poetry.

Mrs Parker (Teacher Librarian)