Key Messages

• Our students are learning about podcasting. We are considering starting a podcast version of this newsletter and would love your thoughts. See below.
• Construction has started on the covered walkway to 4WD, 4L and the community hub. This work will take place over the next 6 weeks, with some minor access restrictions during this period.
• Thank you to those who attended Monday’s P&C meeting. If you haven’t attended a meeting before, please feel welcome to come along to the next meeting on the 23^rd 
• Our communication streams are changing. From Monday 26^th May, we will be communicating solely through the School Bytes parent app.
• Make sure that all items are clearly labelled with your child’s name so that they are returned to you if they have been misplaced.

Celebrations

• Happy Mother’s Day! Thank you to all those who were able to celebrate with us today and we hope you have a special day on Sunday.
• Congratulations to our boys and girls State Knockout soccer teams on their latest victories.
• Congratulations to our talented dancers on gaining a place in the Greater Sydney West Dance ensemble.
• Good luck to our cross country team at next weeks Zone carnival.
• Selected students will be participating in the BLC STEAM Team Challenge over the coming terms. Good luck!
• Year 6 students will be working on the BECOME program. Details are below.

Welcome to the first edition of the Log for Term 2. I hope that you all enjoyed the school holiday period, even if that now seems like a distant memory. While we may still only be early in Term 2, it has certainly been a busy start to the term, as you will see below. We have enjoyed some student success in a number of fields, seen progress made on some of our capital works, swim school is in full swing, and we have enjoyed a wonderful celebration with our mums… and we are only 9 days in!

This morning we hosted our annual Muffins with Mum celebration. I commented to a number of parents about how much I love these events. It is so nice to have our staff, our students and their families altogether on the school site to start the day with a celebration. We all know how important mums are, but how often do we get a chance to stop and say thank you for all that they do. The school was buzzing with all of our visitors, and despite a sugar crash for some students as the morning wore on, I know that the students loved the chance to bring their mums into ‘their world’. Thank you to those of you who were able to make it up for this incredibly important event. Whether you were able to come up or not, I hope that you all enjoy a wonderful day on Sunday and that all of your children shower you with love and gifts. Some of those gifts you may be showered with were purchased today through our annual P&C Mother’s Day stall. Each year I am impressed by the students’ thoughtfulness while selecting gifts. While you may not always understand why they chose what they did, I can assure you that they are all very measured as they patrol the tables and compare the various offerings before eventually settling on what they brought home to you. Finally, the afternoon finished off with our monster Mother’s Day raffle draw. We were so fortunate to have some amazing prizes available… although I am sad to say that I didn’t win so it will be a last minute dash to the shops for me tomorrow! Thank you to all of those who bought tickets and donated wonderful prizes. Also, a special thank you to the parent volunteers who wrapped the prizes ahead of the raffle, as well as those parents who volunteered on the stall throughout the day. We really appreciate all of your efforts. Can I also thank the organising committee for our Muffins with Mum breakfast, Miss Allen, Mr Besre, Mrs De Kauwe, Ms Delarue and Mrs Thai. The team went above and beyond in coordinating this event and I couldn’t be more thankful to them for the memories that they created for our students and their families this morning.

State knockout competitions are in full swing at present, and today KLPS hosted the latest round of the girls and boys soccer competitions. Both sides were drawn to play Quakers Hill, and Mr Starr was channelling his inner Ted Lasso as he prepared his sides for the contest. Both teams played incredibly well and came away with wins. The boys had a hard fought 4-1 victory, while the girls played magnificently in securing an 8-2 result. Congratulations to all the students involved as they move onto the next round of the competition. Thank you to Mr Starr for his work coaching the team and coordinating the event.

In the performing arts, five of our talented dancers were successful in gaining a place in the Greater Sydney West Dance ensemble. The girls had to complete an audition late last week, and each of our stars shone throughout the process. It has been 6 years since we last had five students represent the school at this level, and the girls should each feel incredibly proud of their efforts. Congratulations to Lilian C, Piper M, Mia N, Lillian T and Maia V. We wish the girls all the very best with their upcoming rehearsals and their performance later in the year.

Next Friday, our school representatives will be heading off to the Zone Cross Country carnival, so I’m sure we will have even more student success stories to share in the next edition of the Log!

Over Term 2 and 3, some classes will be incorporating podcasting into their units of study. Staff completed professional learning in this area, and we are in the process of securing the necessary equipment to successfully build this into their program. While I completed the training myself, I wondered whether parents would appreciate a Kings Langley PS podcast to accompany the school newsletter. We would have the newsletter remain for key messages and information, but in a much briefer format. We would then look to the podcast to share our celebrations and successes. We would love to know your thoughts about this idea, so please let us know below. 

Over the holidays, preliminary work started on the covered walkway to 4WD/4L and the Community Hub. This work will see the existing, aging walkway near the chicken coop and vegetable patch knocked down and replaced with a new structure that extends to the classrooms. This will mean that every room in the school is now accessible via a covered walkway, which will be incredibly helpful during wet weather periods. The orange toilets will be temporarily closed while the work is completed, and there will be adjusted access to the Stage 1 classes during this period. The work is expected to be completed by the end of Week 6.

As part of our ongoing work to extend our high potential and gifted students, I am pleased to report that the Blacktown Learning Community STEAM Team Challenge will be returning in 2025. Selected Stage 3 students will be taught design thinking principles that they can then apply to a unique set of challenges that will test and develop their ability to think critically, as well as collaborate and communicate with their peers. Students will be taught coding principles and given access to a range of technologies to support them on their problem solving journey. The 2025 challenge is launching at Kings Langley Public School on Thursday 15^th May, with four students being given the opportunity to represent the school at the workshop that is being run by the Department of Education’s Digital Support Team. Students will then complete weekly lessons and activities, with the annual expo being held in Term 4 at Seven Hills High School. I cannot wait to see what our students come up with!

Another exciting initiative that is starting this term is the BECOME program. Our Year 6 students will be engaging in this exciting new program which stokes the fire of curiosity about the world of work. The program explores who children really are, what motivates them and where their talents lie and takes them on a journey to consider a wide range of career possibilities. Evidence shows that careers education has a powerful impact when delivered early, and this tailored program is aimed at supporting students who are currently in Year 6. BECOME is recognised by the OECD as Global Effective Practice in K-12 Career Education and a CDAA Commended program. All lessons and activities will be working towards a careers expo in Term 4, which will be hosted by our students. There is normally a cost associated with participation in this program, but I am very thankful to Seven Hills High School who are facilitating the program and covering the cost of our students’ participation. I am really looking forward to seeing where this program takes our students and I’m fascinated to see what careers they are considering by the time the expo rolls around… provided none of them want to be a Principal at KLPS, as that position is filled!

On Monday we enjoyed our first P&C meeting for the term. It was lovely to see some new faces as well as the more familiar ones. P&C meetings are a wonderful opportunity to hear about what is happening within the school as well as ask questions and share ideas about our future directions. This meeting, I discussed a number of upcoming projects and shared information about our current School Excellence Plan. All parents are always welcome at these meetings, so please come along if you are interested and available.

In saying that, I am pleased to share that my wife and I are expecting our third child in the coming weeks. I intend to take a short period of leave when the baby is born, but will be back at work before the end of Term 2. While I cannot give a precise start date for my leave as that will be dictated by when our newest arrival decides to join us, I know that Mrs Hutton will ensure that the school keeps humming along smoothly in my absence as she relieves as Principal.

Earlier this week, communication went home around a change in the way that we engage with our parent community. On the 25^th May, our current app (known as Szapp) will be decommissioned. Parents will be able to delete and uninstall this app from their phone. In its place, we will be using the School Bytes parent app for all future communication. The newsletter will remain on the Schoolzine platform, but no other components of the app will be utilised by the school. If you have any questions about this change or need any assistance moving over to the new platform, please contact the school office.

Finally, as the seasons change we always see an influx of lost property around the school. On the last day of last term, we were able to completely clear the lost property box out the front of the office, and in just 5 days to start this term it was completely full again. Children will always be forgetful and leave things lying around, but when items are labelled with the child’s name they usually find their way back to them. Can you please ensure that all jumpers, jackets, hats, lunch boxes and drink bottles are clearly labelled with your child’s name. If your child comes home without an item and it can’t be found in their classroom, tell them to check lost property tub located behind the flagpoles near the office.

We are still accepting enrolments for Kindergarten 2026. If you or someone you know has a child who will be starting Kindergarten next year, please click the link below to complete an online enrolment form. If you have any questions about enrolment, please contact the office.

Last year, Elysia D of Kindy (now Year 1) and Zeppina C of Year 4 (now Year 5) had their amazing artworks chosen from several KLPS contenders to be displayed as part of Operation Art.  

Operation Art is an annual program developed from a partnership between The Children’s Hospital at Westmead and the New South Wales Department of Education.  

These two artworks from 2024, will be exhibited this year at Fairfield City Museum & Gallery from 24 May -19 July 2025, with a special opening ceremony to be held on Saturday 24 May. 

Congratulations to these students!

Vanessa Allen  

KLPS Facilitator for Operation Art 2025  

Congratulations to the following students on earning their PBL Award. Well done!

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