Key Messages

• The STEAM Team expo is on at Seven Hills High School on Monday 20^th October from 2pm to 5pm. It is open to the public, come along and see what KLPS students have been up to.
• School holiday activities at the Powerhouse Museum at Castle Hill are included below.
• Please read below for important end of year dates and information for all students, but particularly our Year 6 students.
• Please be sure to note due dates of payments when permission notes come through. We can’t always reopen events to accept payment, and we have had a few children miss out on things as payment and permission was not provided in time.
• If your family is leaving the school at the end of year (not including graduating Year 6 students), please notify our office as soon as possible.
• Please ensure that students names are on uniform, especially hats and jumpers/jackets.
• A handful of students have started wearing items of clothing that aren’t school uniform. A reminder that students should be wearing white socks at all times, while hats and jumpers/jackets should be school uniform. Contact Mrs Eves if you’re experiencing financial hardship and need support with paying for uniforms.
• Port Place play equipment will be fixed over the holidays, as will the potholes in the carpark (which will only impact our staff because, as you all know, parents aren’t able to park in the carpark).
• First day of school for Term 4 is Tuesday 14^th

Celebrations

• Year 5 have returned from the Great Aussie Bush Camp having had a wonderful 3 days.

It may be the final week of term, but there certainly hasn’t been any ‘coasting to the finish line’ at KLPS. It has been a busy fortnight, culminating in the annual Year 6 minifete tomorrow. It has been a particularly big week for our Year 5 students, who had their first school camp earlier this week. On Monday morning the hall was bursting with a mixture of excitement and nerves as students and parents gathered to see them on their way up to Tea Gardens. Students participated in a range of activities over the three days that they were away, and as they arrived back from camp yesterday afternoon, I felt very confident that they were all going to sleep well last night! Speaking with the students this morning, there were a number of highlights- some mentioned the power fan, others the mud run, and some enjoyed the rock climbing while John was the only person I spoke to who enjoyed the high ropes more than anything else. Mrs Eves particularly loved the dual flying foxes (as did Danni who loved going across the river), while the giant swing seemed to be everyone’s favourite. There were mixed reports about the food which seemed to largely connect to individual preferences, though Rai told me that hot dog night was the highlight of the whole camp for him. I could tell the experience was enjoyable for all the students by the excitement in their voices as they unpacked the three days for me, often speaking for extended periods without stopping for a breath. About the only time they got a little cagey was when I asked if they all went to sleep on time… it will shock you to know that a few of them may have stayed up talking when they were supposed to be sleeping! Late night chats aside, the group were well behaved and a credit to themselves. Teachers monitor Year 5 camp closely to see if there are any students who would not be suitable for leadership positions in 2026, and I can safely say that a number of students put their hand up as outstanding leaders within the grade.

I would like to say a huge thank you to the teachers that made this experience possible for our students. Mrs Eves, Mr Figures, Miss Karadjov, Mrs Owen and Mrs Wills took time away from their own families and lives to make this experience a memorable one for our students. Camp is a draining experience for teachers, who essentially have a 54 hour straight shift without overtime. I am so thankful that our teachers are so student focused that they are willing to make that sacrifice so that students don’t miss out. It was heartwarming to hear so many parents and students thanking the teachers upon their return yesterday afternoon; something I know the teachers appreciated. I’d also like to thank Mr Starr who coordinated the experience for the Year 5 students. While he didn’t attend the camp in person this year, he certainly did all the hard work behind the scenes to make it happen.

As you would no doubt know, high performance and gifted education (HPGE) is at the forefront of all that we do at Kings Langley PS. We are always working towards furthering each child’s education, reflective of their own individual circumstances. Today, our students with a particular talent in the STEAM fields (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) were hard at work for the final preparations for the upcoming Blacktown Learning Community STEAM Team expo. Students have been busy writing code, utilising technology, and designing and building solutions to a range of problems that face society today. The theme for this years expo is “The Change Makers”, which is definitely an accurate term to describe the students involved. The Expo is on Monday 20^th October at Seven Hills High School, and I can’t wait to see the final product that they produce. At the Expo, our students’ work will be showcased alongside other schools in the area from 2pm to 5pm. The event is open to the public and I would invite you all to come along and celebrate all that our students have done.

We have been working closely with the Powerhouse Museum at Castle Hill to arrange for another HPGE experience for our talented writers. More information on this opportunity will be shared with selected students early in Term 4, but in the meantime they have asked me to share with you all that the museum will be running several Spring Holiday workshops for children in September and October. 

One program they said may be of particular interest Curatorial Kids which is a full day program for students aged 9-12. More information can be found on the website.

Tomorrow is our annual Year 6 minifete. This is an annual tradition, where our Year 6 students run stalls and activities for the rest of the school. It is an incredibly fun way to end the term for our children after 10 weeks of hard work, and all the money raised goes towards supporting the Year 6 gift to the school and subsidising the Year 6 farewell. I know our Year 5 students will be watching the activities through a new lens this year, as it won’t be long before it is their turn to run their own minifete!

The graduating class of 2024 used the funds from minifete for their gift to the school; a refresh of the mural at the crossing on Isaac Smith Parade. It has taken some time, but we have now booked in an artist to complete the mural in Term 4, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for our makeover!

Throughout Term 4 there are a number of events for our Year 6 students as they prepare to transition to high school. These events include their farewell on the evening of Wednesday 3^rd December, which will once again be held at Wenty Leagues club. They will also have their graduation ceremony on Thursday 18^th December; a formal ceremony where family members are invited in to join us in farewelling our students as they move onto their next phase of their schooling. Then on Friday the 19^th December, students have their final day at KLPS. Year 6 parents and the P&C put on a special BBQ lunch for the students before the walk out of our gates for the last time as students at our school through a guard of honour. Parents are once again invited along to join us on Golden Grove as we say farewell to what has been an outstanding cohort of students.

It isn’t just our departing Year 6 class that have a lot of events to finish of the year. We have our K-2 presentation day on Monday 8^th December, while our 3-6 presentation day is on Wednesday 10^th December. The presentation day events are only for parents who receive an invitation indicating that their child has won a major award. We also have our annual party day on Wednesday 17^th December for all students. This year we are going back to a day of waterslide fun, so hopefully the rain stays away.

With so many things happening, it is important for parents to continue to look out for emails and communication about events. I would encourage parents to make payment and complete permission notes as early as possible- we know how busy life is, and I know if I don’t action things straight away they can easily be missed! While we do our best to send out multiple reminders for events, it is incumbent on parents to keep up to date with their payments through the School Bytes portal. In most cases, payment deadlines are in place as we need to provide final numbers to venues/suppliers in advance of the event and they do not allow for last minute changes. Wherever we can, we reopen events for late payments as we don’t want children to miss out, but please understand that this isn’t always possible. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

While there is still a quarter of the year to go, as you can see above, we are well advanced in our plans and preparations for both the end of this year and the start of next. Could I please ask that any families who won’t be returning to our school in 2026 notify the office (not including our Year 6 students, of course). While we are always incredibly sad to hear of families that are leaving us, advanced warning and notice allows us to better plan our classes and structures for the new school year. Thank you in advance for your support and cooperation.

As we enter into the warmer months, it is timely to remind parents to ensure that all loose items of students clothing are clearly labelled with their names. Spring often means that students are wearing their jumper to school in the cooler mornings and taking it off as the day warms up, where it often gets left behind as they leave the playground at the end of recess or lunch. Items with names almost always make their way back to students- the success rate for items without a name on them is much lower!

On the subject of uniform, we have had an increase in the number of students wearing the incorrect uniform to school. The main issues have been around socks and hats, though there have been a few students also wearing jumpers/jackets that aren’t school uniform. All students should be wearing plain white socks with their uniform every day. Black socks are not permitted. Similarly, students should only be wearing the school hat and jackets/jumpers. We understand that some families may be experiencing periods of financial hardship and are unable to purchase these items for their children. In this instance, please contact the office and speak with Mrs Eves and we will confidentially be able to arrange support so that students are meeting school expectations in this area.

Over the course of the school holidays, there will be some minor works being carried out throughout the school. The potholes in the carpark are being repaired in the first week and we are optimistic that work will finally be completed to repair the Port Place play equipment, which has been closed off for student safety for much of this term. None of this work will impact on regular school operations.

I hope that you are all able to enjoy a wonderful spring holiday break. For those who are lucky enough to have time off, I hope that you and your children are able to form some wonderful memories and enjoy some time together as a family. I look forward to hearing all about your holiday adventures when students return to school on Tuesday 14^th October.