News

At Pretty Beach Public School we are always busy as we are involved in so many wonderful activities. The activities are as diversified as our students so that we can try to cater for each individual's interests and strengths.

Teacher organised activities include School Excursions, -athons, Book week activities including a book parade and Fun Days e.g. Pirate Day. The activities run by Year 5 & 6 for their Year 6 Farewell and gift include Mothers Day stall, Cake stall, Clean up Australia Day, Fathers Day stall and breakfast and Jeans for Jeans day.

We are lucky that we have an active P & C who help us with great ideas for fun activities for fundraising, such as our annual Fireworks Night it always goes off with a bang! The Student Parliament has an active and keen fundraising committee who have developed an array of activities for us to enjoy eg Hippy Day and Discos. They develop these each year to help raise money for Stewart House and to raise money for school projects.

Blue Mufti Day for Stewart House

Fri 19th Sep 08,

Our School Parliament organised a Mufti Day to raise money for Stewart House.

The theme was 'blue' with all participating students wearing something blue. A great effort as we raised $141.00 from this.

Yr 6 3D Landscapes

Fri 19th Sep 08,

Year 6 students have been creating 3D landscapes.

They have done these as part of their Ancient Lands science unit.

Yr 2 Lobster Beach Local Area Walk

Fri 12th Sep 08,

Year 2 walked to Lobster Beach to help gain a better understanding of their local environment.

After investigating the beach they enjoyed some games and sand modelling before returning to school.

Dad's Breakfast

Fri 05th Sep 08,

Our Dad’s Breakfast was just wonderful.  We had lots of dads, granddads and other significant males there to help celebrate Fathers Day.

They ended up with full stomachs and very happy children.  It was truly wonderful to see children proudly showing off their work to their dads. 

Yr 5 Science Project

Thu 04th Sep 08,

As part of their Science Topic 'Weather,' Year 5 worked in groups to create a wind instrument.

They had to make and design it to show both wind and speed direction. They then tested these and explained their operation to the rest of the class.

Athletics Carnival

Fri 22nd Aug 08,

We had a very successful athletics carnival with every child attending competing.

They once again showed wonderful enthusiasm and sportsmanship in all the events. Congratulations to the winning house Pelicans closely followed by Kookaburras.

Year 6 Book Week Plays

Fri 22nd Aug 08,

Our Year 6 students entertained us by performing plays for the rest of the school.

They did this as part of our Book Week celebrations. They raised $45.55 as part of their fundraising activities for a gift for the school.

Justyn Walker Author Visit

Thu 21st Aug 08,

To coincide with Book Week celebrations Justyn Walker gave a talk to our Year 3 - 6 Students.

He explained to the children how to come up with interesting ideas for a book. He also gave examples from the books he has written. 

Creative Writing Workshop

Thu 21st Aug 08,

Visiting author Justyn Walker ran a very informative Creative Writing Workshop for some of our students.

He explained the fundamentals of writing and showed them how to come up with a character profile. Our students then produced their own story to share with the group.

Writing to Olympians

Tue 19th Aug 08,

Our students from 3 to 6 participated in the Letter Link Program in writing a letter to their favourite Olympian.

This was done using pen and paper rather than email. They included wonderful drawings and poems in their letters.

Olympathon

Fri 15th Aug 08,

Our school held an Olympathon to raise money for English resources for our school.

The children participated in 10 activities designed along the lines of Olympic events. They were in their peer support groups each representing a different country. A fun day for all involved.

Kincumber High School Visit

Thu 14th Aug 08,

Students from Kincumber High School visited our school and showed us some great science experiments.

These included making elephants toothpaste as pictured. We also listened to Jessie play his guitar, assisted by Daniel. He is a very talented song writer who came 4th last year in a song writing competition.

Yr 3 & 4 Sydney Excursion

Fri 01st Aug 08,

Year 3 and 4 had a very enjoyable day visiting The Rocks, Hyde Park Barracks and IMAX theatre.

They gained a better understanding of what life must have been like when the early settlers and convicts arrived in 1788. The students dressed up and pretended they were one of these people.

NAIDOC Week

Fri 25th Jul 08,

Our students were involved in many types of NAIDOC Week activities.

These included making didgeridoos and the Aboriginal flag, presenting a play, writing stories and poems. The art work was incredible the Yr 4 play was very enjoyable and the Poems written by Yr 6 were very insightful.

Year 3 Dragon Puppets

Fri 04th Jul 08,

Our Year 3 students have been busy making Dragon puppets in class.

They were made from pom poms, glue and string. These were done with help from a very patient Mrs MacDonald.

Year 4/5 Writing

Thu 03rd Jul 08,

Year 4/5 are writing a recount about 'The Big Wait'.

They wrote a recount on waiting to move to their new classroom and the excitement of finally moving in.

Year 6 Writing an Exposition

Thu 03rd Jul 08,

Year 6 are writing an exposition on whaling.

The topic was "Why we shoulld ban whaling" and some fantastic points of veiw were put forward.

Year 3 Information Report

Thu 03rd Jul 08,

Our Year 3 students have been studying State National Parks.

They completed an in class Information Report on Australian Native Animals. They also illustrated their reports with some very impressive drawings.

Ambulance Visit

Wed 02nd Jul 08,

NSW Ambulance Service visited our school and gave a talk to our K-2 students.

Thanks to Penny for explaining what Ambulance Officers do and to see what is in an ambulance. This was an exciting ending to their Drug Education Sessions.

Regional Soccer Trials

Wed 02nd Jul 08,

Congratulations to Tom Hagistefanis who was selected in the Brisbane Water/Woy Woy Zone Soccer team and  competed in the regional trials this term at Pittwater. 

Selection for the regional team was extremely competitive and unfortunately Tom was unsuccessful at that level.

Murri-Kulcha Performance

Tue 01st Jul 08,

The meaning of this is Murri – Queensland Aboriginal, Kulcha – Kriol word for Culture and Education – where Reconciliation starts.

As part of our NAIDOC week celebrations, we had Lewis Parter perform for us. He is of the central Queensland Daranbal people whose language is Birri Gubba and is a songwriter and musician who presents his culture to young people.

First Aid Kits

Tue 01st Jul 08,

As part of the Drug Education Program  K - 2 made their own First Aid Kit.

They have these in their bags and they can use them as needed for little accidents. The contents were kindly donated by Scripsave Discount Chemist at Bensville.

Musica Viva

Thu 26th Jun 08,

Muscia Viva a unique world music ensemble performed a blend of traditional vocal and instrumental repertoire, from many countries, with modern jazz improvisation.

They featured pieces of music from Turkey, Bulgaria, Ireland and Australia. Through our music program this term, the children have been experiencing these pieces through listening and movement activities as well as instrumental work. 

New Classrooms

Wed 25th Jun 08,

Our Yr 6 and Yr 4/5 students had a very exciting day as they moved into their new classrooms. 

The rooms look fantastic with lots of space, new furniture, new equipment and even a wet area with water.

Regional Rugby Union Trials

Wed 25th Jun 08,

Congratulations to Liam and Alec Baker who represented the school and zone at the Regional Rugby Union Trials in Sydney.

Both boys played extremely well but unfortunately didn’t get selected to the next level.

Regional Multicultural Public Speaking Competition

Thu 19th Jun 08,

Congratulations to Joss, Courtney, Siann and Dougal who represented the school at the Local Final for the Regional Multicultural Public Speaking Competition at Avoca PS.

Our students performed very confidently for their prepared speech.  They also proved to be very capable impromptu speakers.  Joss  was also awarded a highly commended certificate for his speeches.

Drug Education Program

Tue 17th Jun 08,

Drug Education Sessions have been run by our Peer Support Leaders.

These sessions promote student leadership skills through the use of participatory approaches. These sessions aim to develop their attitudes, knowledge, resilience, consequence and understanding of drugs and drug issues.

Regional Cross Country Representatives

Thu 12th Jun 08,

Four of our students represented the school and the zone at the Sydney North Cross Country Carnival.

Congratulations to all of the girls who performed extremely well. Hanna will now compete at the State Cross Country Carnival.

Yr 5 & 6 Coastal Studies Excursion

Wed 11th Jun 08,

Years 5 & 6 went to Copacabana Beach s part of the school's Environmental Education Program.

The students looked at rock platform organisms and studied the headland, rocks and dunes. Mrs Biddulp & Mr Attwooll from Rumbalara led the two groups. 

Environment Day 2008

Thu 05th Jun 08,

Mrs Chippendale organised a fantastic Environment Day.

The students participated in numerous environmental activities. These were provided by presenters from Rumbalara Educational Centre, Taronga Zoo, Gosford City Council, Waterwatch, National Parks, Fisheries and community members and parents.

Art and Craft Groups

Thu 05th Jun 08,

Our students have been busy creating items in Art and Craft Groups.

Parents and local community members have been coming in to run many of these groups. These items will feature in our Art Show later in the year.

Zone Cross Country

Fri 30th May 08,

Our students performed particularly well  this year at the Zone Cross Country.

We once again won the percentage shield. Congratulations to Celia 1st and Lucy 5th in 10yr girls, Jessica 3rd 11yr girls and Hanna 1st 12/13yr girls who will now represent our school at the Area Trials.

Education Week Open Day - Love of Learning

Wed 28th May 08,

Our open day was very successful with many parents and grandparents visiting our school.

The students were able to get their parents to participate in maths games and activities enabling them to show what they can do. Visitors were also able to view students work in the classroom and watch the outstanding performances by all classes.

Book Fair

Wed 28th May 08,

Our themed Book Fair Beach was very successful.

Thank you to all of the families who purchased something at the fair. From the sales the library received over $1000.00 worth of new books.

Peer Support Program

Fri 23rd May 08,

Our Peer Support Program has begun with Year 6 children leading multi-age groups on Tuesdays. 

The program aims to provide a positive and safe learning environment for students and staff. Our module for this term is ‘Being Positive’. It focuses on optimism.  Students learn the value and importance of approaching life optimistically and to persevere with challenging situations.

Yrs 3 & 4 Putty Beach Excursion

Fri 23rd May 08,

Our year 3 and 4 students went to Putty beach for their Local Area Walk.

After walking to the beach the children enjoyed games and other activities on the beach before returning to school.

Waste Audit

Wed 21st May 08,

Our school conducted a waste audit with Lisa Wiley from Rumbalara Environmental Education Centre.

To do this we saved all our waste for one day so we could measured how much we produced.

Annual Cross Country

Fri 09th May 08,

Mr McInerney organised another very successful cross country.

All students completed the course and showed great sportsmanship.

Central Coast Football School Development Program

Fri 02nd May 08,

Central Coast Football came to our school to run a school development program with the students.

The children had a wonderful time learning different football skills. Thanks to Central Coast Football and Newcastle Permanent for providing these fantastic sessions.

Crazy Hair Day

Fri 02nd May 08,

Our School Parliament organised a Crazy Hair Day to help raise money to support Blue Dragon Children's Foundation.

Some very imaginative hairstyles were created by the students. It was a very successful day as we collected $146.

ANZAC Day Service

Fri 11th Apr 08,

Our School leaders conducted a very moving ANZAC Day service.

The students were reminded why we commemorate ANZAC Day. Our special guest Mr Daryl Ford explained about Mascots and their importance to military forces both in the past and to the present day.

Stewart House Mufti Day

Thu 03rd Apr 08,

Year 3 organised a Mufti Day for Stewart House.

This was very successful raising $153.00.

Road Zone Performance

Thu 03rd Apr 08,

Questacon with sponsorship from NRMA put on a road zone safety performance for Years 4 to 6.

The students were shown why they need to wear helmets and seat belts to keep them safe. This was done with hands on activities for some of the students.

Year 5 Science and Tecnology

Thu 03rd Apr 08,

As part of Year 5's Science and Technology Unit 'Food for the Tuckerbox' they had to design and package a product.

This involved understanding the processes of how food is made and marketed making it attractive to the consumer.

Worm Farms

Wed 26th Mar 08,

Lisa Wiley from Rumbalara Environmental Education Centre visited our school to see our worm farms.

She asked our environment ministers question about the care of them and discussed strategies to improve our worm farms.

Reading Challenge Champion

Tue 25th Mar 08,

Congratulations to Meleah for completing the Premiers Reading Challenge.

Melah was determined to complete the challenge and read at every opportunity to complete it so quickly. She recorded these directly onto the website via the Premiers Reading Challenge webpage.

Stage 3 Bali Talk

Tue 25th Mar 08,

Narelle Jones came and talked to stage 3 about Bali as part of their theme work this term.

Some of the students dressed in traditional Balinese costume and they were also told about their art, language, customs and culture.

Year 1 Castles

Tue 25th Mar 08,

Year 1 have created some fantastic castles.

To make them they used a combination of painting, cutting and pasting, glitter and crayon. 

Water Testing

Tue 25th Mar 08,

Water Testing was conducted by our environment minisiters with the help of a representative of Water Watch.

They checked the PH, salinity, turbity and water temperature. The results were very pleasing as our local waterway was found to be quite healthy. 

Kindergarten Fruit Kebab Procedure

Fri 21st Mar 08,

Our kindergarten students made fruit kebabs as part of the Science and Technology unit 'What's for lunch.'

A joint construction of a procedure was done and then the children followed this to make their traffic light kebabs.

Year 6 Harmony Day Project

Thu 20th Mar 08,

Year 6 decorated their hat room for Harmony Day.

They had a wonderful  time putting orange handprints around the hat room.

Year 4 Monet & Picasso inspired artwork

Thu 20th Mar 08,

Year 4 have enjoyed learning about Monet and Picasso.

Their fabulous 'Waterlilies' and 'Portraits' were inspired by the artists.

Harmony Day

Thu 20th Mar 08,

Our school celebrated Harmony Day by wearing orange and having a picnic at lunch time.

The students learnt the meaning of Harmony Day which is about bringing people together to celebrate Australia's community harmony, participation and cultural diversity. They made posters wrote poems and enjoyed a picinic lunch with their parents

Rhythmic Gymnastics

Tue 11th Mar 08,

As part of the gymnastics program the children participated in rhythmic gymnastics lessons.

This involved  using ribbons, hoops and balls.

World Maths Day

Fri 07th Mar 08,

Children in Years 3 - 6 participated in World Maths Day to help set a record in answering mental arthmetic questions using the Live Maths game engine.

There were more than 20,000 schools participating. We had 84 students registered and they answered 21,875 questions correctly. It was great for our children to be part of this international challenge.

Zone Swimming Carnival

Fri 07th Mar 08,

A great effort was made by all students who completed at the Zone Swimming Carnival.

Congratulations to Jessica who was the 11 years Zone Swimming Champion.

Clean Up Our School & Local Environment

Fri 07th Mar 08,

In conjunction with Clean Up Australia Day we cleaned up our school and the surrounding areas.

The children came prepared to do this and did a fantastic job. 

Kids Club

Wed 05th Mar 08,

Kids Club is organised by Jan Tochowicz, teacher’s aide, at lunch time for children. 

Children are able to participate in many games and art and craft activities.  Kids club operate three times per week and is open to all children to join in.

Gymnastics lessons

Tue 04th Mar 08,

Students have been attending gymnastics lessons weekly this term.

The lessons have incorporated a mix of participation and skills development in dominant movement patterns.

NSW PSSA State Cricket Carnival

Mon 03rd Mar 08,

Congratulations to Jessica for being selected for the Regional Cricket Team.

The team competed in the recent cricket carnival only being defeated in one game.

Years 1 & 2 Rumalara Excursion

Fri 29th Feb 08,

Years 1 & 2 went on an excursion to Rumbalara.

The excursion was part of their HSIE unit of work 'The Need for Shelter.' The children had a terrific time but had to return early due to the weather.

Education Ministers

Fri 22nd Feb 08,

Our Education Ministers jobs are:

• Bells
• Flags
• Weekly uniform check

Health & Environment Ministers

Fri 22nd Feb 08,

Our Health and Environment Ministers jobs are:

• Playground tidiness
• Water conservation
• Bush classroom
• Worm farms

Arts Ministers

Fri 22nd Feb 08,

Our Arts Ministers jobs are:

• Art store room
• Collect and display work in foyer
• Assist with art show and school musical, visting performances etc

Sports Ministers

Fri 22nd Feb 08,

Our Sports Ministers jobs are:

• Sports equipment
• Put away sandpit toys at the end of the day
• Sporting carnivals

Events and Recreation Ministers

Fri 22nd Feb 08,

Our Events and Recreation Ministers jobs are:

• School discos
• Special fundraising events
• Special school days
• Fundraising for parliament

Transport Ministers

Fri 22nd Feb 08,

Our Transport Ministers jobs are:

• Bus moniters
• Bike area
• Toilets
• Crossing flags

Technology Ministers

Fri 22nd Feb 08,

Our Transport Ministers jobs are:

• Computers in the library
• Energy conservation
• Water usage
• Library Monitors

Door Mats

Thu 21st Feb 08,

We now have new door mats donated by Year 6 2007.

The door mats feature our logo on the entry to the school and the school crest on the one in the library. 

Environmentally Friendly Canteen

Wed 20th Feb 08,

Our canteen uses reusable containers.

As a part of the Waste Free Canteen Project we obtained grants to purchase the containers. This helps reduce the waste from the canteen as it replaces a lot of the pre-packaged food sold in the canteen.

Premiers Reading Challenge 2008

Fri 08th Feb 08,

Many Children in our school are participating in the Premiers Reading Challenge again this year.

This is an initiative to encourage and reward reading and it runs from 1 February to 1 September 2008. Children from K to Year 6 can participate. For more information see the link to the website in our downloads section.

Swimming carnival

Fri 08th Feb 08,

A fantastic effort by all participants with Pelicans winning the carnival and Kookaburras winning bonus points for the best cheering in support of their competitors.

School Captains

Thu 07th Feb 08,

Our School Captains and Vice Captains for 2008.

Oliver, Joss, Ashley and Jessica.

Sports Captains

Thu 07th Feb 08,

Our Sports Captains for 2008:

Kookaburras- Sunniva, Luke, Tom and Tarni. Pelicans- Madilyn, Reece, Dannika and Alec.

'Water is Life' Mural

Thu 06th Dec 07,

The latest mural has been added to the canteen wall. 

A big thank you to Sue Richardson for the time and effort she put into designing and painting the mural and Rita Elphick for organising the materials and to Con Donnellan for erecting the mural onto the canteen.