Dundurrabin Public School Newsletter Term 3, Week 6, 2025

Principal's Message

Dear Dundurrabin Public School Community,

After spending the last two months at Dorrigo Public School, I have now returned to Dundurrabin and am pleased to reconnect with our school community. Please join me in thanking Mrs Sangster for relieving as our school principal during my absence. We are very fortunate to have such a dedicated team of teachers and support staff.

I am pleased to share that Mrs Sangster is recovering well following her surgery last week. While she is on leave, I will be teaching the K-2 class, and Mr Williamson will continue to teach the 3-6 class. 

I look forward to working with everyone again and continuing to support our students’ learning and wellbeing. Thank you all for your warm welcome back.

I hope you enjoy this newsletter as we highlight the wonderful learning opportunities taking place here at Dundurrabin!

Leah Keough

Principal

Every Day Matters

Please remember to explain all days your child is away from school. You can do this in person, by phoning the school, or by sending a text to the school mobile at 0411 939 188. Thank you for your cooperation!

What's on for Term 3

Week 6

• Wednesday 27 August - Gubi Gabun Playgroup 10am to 12noon -Dundurrabin PS

Week 7 

• Wednesday 3 September - Kindergarten Transition - 9am to 12noon                                                                                                                                          & Yr6 DHS Transition - 12noon to 3.15pm

Week 8

• Wednesday 10 September - Gubi Gabun Playgroup - 10am to 12noon -Dundurrabin PS
• Friday 12 September - P&C Pizza Night

Week 9

• Tuesday 16 September - Special Lunch Order Day
• Wednesday 17 September - Kindergarten Transition - 11.30am to 3.15pm                                                                                                                                    & K-2 Class - Responsible Pets Visit - 12 noon

Week 10

• Wednesday 24 September - Gubi Gabun Playgroup - 10am to 12 noon                                                                                                                                           & Term 3 Assembly & Adults V Students Sport Game - 2.00pm
• Thursday 25 September - School Photos

Consent Notes to be Returned

• Year 6 DHS Transition Consent Note 
• Special Lunch Order & Money - By Monday 8 September

Fortnightly Awards

Term 3 - Week 6

K-2 Class

Tyler Hobbs for improvement in his letter formation during handwriting tasks.

3-6 Class

Amber Baff for her outstanding knowledge of the 3's and 4's time tables.

Raffle Tickets - Due Back Next Monday

Year 6 students have been busy organising a raffle to help raise funds to support their Sydney excursion. Some fantastic prizes have been donated by local businesses for the raffle. Among these prizes is a signed Penrith Panthers jersey, along with various vouchers and other exciting items.

Join us in supporting our Stage 3 fundraising efforts by purchasing raffle tickets for a chance to win fantastic prizes! Tickets are available for purchase from our students or directly at the school office, Dorrigo Bakery, Noble Auto Repairs, Heritage Hotel Motel Dorrigo and Dorrigo Hardware. Tickets are $1.00 each and the raffle will be drawn on Friday 5 September.

All tickets sold and unsold with correct money must be returned to school by next Monday 1 September.

Year 6 Sydney Excursion - Payments Due Soon

Our Year 6 students have been invited to join with Dorrigo, Hernani and Chandler Public Schools on an excursion to Sydney from October 20 to October 24, 2025 (Week 2 - Term 4).

The total cost of the excursion will be $650-$700 per student. The school will contribute $100 towards the cost per student as well as the P&C has kindly donated $50.00 per student. A big thank you to the Dorrigo Rotary Club and Dorrigo Lions Club who has kindly donated money to go towards the excursion, totalling $73.80 per student, reducing the remaining cost per student to $476.20. All students have paid their $50 deposit, so remaining balance per students is $426.50 approximately (depending on students raffle fundraising). 

Parents may wish to pay weekly contributions towards the excursion to help mange the expense. The excursion must be paid in full by the the end of this term, Friday 26 September. Only five weeks to go!

Year 6 - Dorrigo High School Transition Dates

This term, Year 6 have begun their High School orientation. During these days, they will become familiar with Dorrigo High School, participate in lessons and learn how to read timetables. They will get the opportunity to meet the other students from the plateau who will also be attending high school next year.

Our students next visit for this term will be on:

• Wednesday, 3 September, from 12.00noon to 3.15pm. 

Year 6 students will need private transport from Dundurrabin Public School to Dorrigo High School on both of these days, but may wish to catch the town bus home in the afternoons, if need be. Please return the consent note that was sent home today.

Term 4 Dates will be:

• Friday 31 October - 12noon to 3.15pm
• Monday 17 November - Whole day
• Tuesday 2 December - Whole day

Book Week Parade

We celebrated our annual Book Parade last Tuesday. The creativity and enthusiasm displayed by our students was truly remarkable, turning our school grounds into a vibrant tapestry of characters from beloved stories.

From classic fairy tale figures to contemporary heroes, every student embraced the spirit of reading with stunning dress-ups that brought their favourite books to life. The effort put into each costume was evident, with many students showcasing their artistic flair and imagination. It was heart-warming to see the joy on their faces as they paraded proudly representing characters that inspire them.

The Book Parade not only highlighted the importance of reading but also fostered a sense of community and fun. We loved seeing students engage with one another, sharing their favourite stories and discussing the characters they portrayed.

A huge thank you to our teachers and staff for their support in making this event a reality, and to all the families for encouraging their children to participate. Their creativity and enthusiasm left us all feeling inspired!

Let’s continue to celebrate the joy of reading every day, and we can’t wait to see what next year’s Book Parade will bring!

Combined Science Day

On Tuesday, 12 August, Hernani PS and Ebor PS students joined us for a fantastic Combined Schools Day to celebrate Science Week. Students participated in three engaging sessions: creating mini ecosystems, decoding animal tracks, and a STEM challenge building bridges and chairs using our Makedo kit. We then finished the afternoon with a fun sports session. Thank you to our wonderful P&C for catering for the day.

Gumbaynggirr Language Learning

This term, we have revisited our learning about people and places through our Gumbaynggirr language lessons with Lesley. Starting in early September, our focus will shift to weather tracking and patterns. Each school day throughout September, students will be recording the daily weather as part of this exciting learning journey.

Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden News

Week 4 

This week we harvested eggs, garlic chives, parsley, kale, lemons, thyme, shallots, swedes, parsnips, rosemary and cabbage.

This week in the kitchen we cooked vegetarian lentil bolognese sauce with fresh handmade fettucine pasta, roasted spaghetti squash, and apple crumble muffins. A big thankyou to Miss Galletly for donating some pumpkin!

This week the cooking award goes to Amber Baff, for her apple slinky skills and always positive attitude. Well done!

Week 5

This week, the wet weather kept us out of the gardens, though we did harvest some large parsnips, swedes, garlic chives, eggs, pak choy, wombok and shallots. 

In the kitchen we made the famous Chang's noodle salad, some crispy rices squares with an assortment of toppings, Korean soy braised swedes, pak choy and vermicelli stir fry, with a fruit platter and Chinese egg custard tarts for dessert. 

This week the cooking award goes to Carter Freeman, for his knife skills and taste testing ability. Special mention to everyone else in the kitchen this week. You all were so amazing it was hard to choose just one award. Well done!

Kinder Transition

We welcomed Maisie, Chase, and Natasha last Wednesday afternoon for a fun-filled Kinder transition session. Despite the wet and rainy weather, we enjoyed a lovely time indoors reading “What do they do with all the poo from the animals in the zoo?” followed by making an elephant craft to take home, construction play, and dancing together. It was a wonderful afternoon of learning and play!

2026 Kindergarten Transition

 Our next Kindergarten transition date is Wednesday 3 September from 9.00am to 12.00 noon.

Special Pizza & Ice-Cream Lunch Order Day

P&C will be holding a Special Pizza Lunch Order day on Tuesday 16 September.

Lunch Orders were be sent home with students today.

Please ensure all orders and money are returned to school by Monday 8 September.

Term 3 Assembly

2025 School Photos

We are pleased to be using local photographer, Lou Walpole (Dorrigo Photographic Services) to capture our school photos this year. Photos will be taken on Thursday 25 September, week 10 this term. 

All photos will be hand-edited, professionally printed and packaged in Dorrigo. Information on how to order will be sent home soon. 

Families can simply scan the QR code below or visit the website, fill in the online form, and choose to pay upfront or request a payment plan. We do have a paper order form at the school office, if you would like one.

The photographer is more than happy to answer any parent questions. Their contact is Kimberly, and any enquiries can go to: schoolphotos@dorrigophoto.com.au

All students are required to come to school on the day in full school uniform.

Gubi Gabun - This Wednesday 27 August

School Bytes Parent Portal

What is the School Bytes Parent Portal?

The School Bytes Parent Portal offers convenience and flexibility, allowing you to: 

• Make online school payments, including payments for multiple siblings, simultaneously.
• Use a family credit to pay for an activity or school contributions.
• Download payment receipts.
• View all historical payments in one place.
• Complete and submit digital permission notes.
• View the status of all permission notes.
• Request a refund if necessary.

This service can be accessible at your convenience at any time, day or night.

Through the Parent Portal, you can easily download a receipt once a payment has been made and have access to view all historical payments when needed. Online payments are processed in real time and can be viewed by school staff immediately.

While our preference is for payments to be made via the portal, we will still accept payment via cash and cheque.

School Bytes – If you haven’t already done so, please see the Parent Portal information below  to connect to these new features. An email was sent home on Thursday 5 June with the link.

Attendance – The simplest way to explain your child’s absence from school will be through the Parent Portal of School Bytes. Once our SMS has been sent, please respond using either option provided so we can make sure all records are up to date. As always, if you’d like any support with attendance, we’re only a phone call, email or visit away.

An email was sent home previously. Please check your emails and follow the links so that we can get this up and running at Dundurrabin.

2025 Learning Contributions - SAKG Fees

Student invoices / Statement of Accounts will be sent home again shortly with your child/ren.  Thank you to our families that have already paid theirs.

Book Club Issue 6

Book Club Issue#6 brochure has been sent home today. If you wish to place an order from this issue, please have your loop online order completed or your order forms and money (cash) back at school by Monday 8 September.

P&C News and Community News

P&C Meeting - Monday 8 September

Our next P&C meeting will be held today, Monday 8 September at 4pm. It would be wonderful if we could have as many people as possible attend. This is a great opportunity to find out about and get involved with what is happening within the school. Please come along, share a cuppa and enjoy a relaxed and friendly gathering. We’d love to see more faces for new ideas and support.