Ferncourt Public School

Top: P&C President Trish Hellyer, Principal Ruth Turnell and School Captains Hannah Leahy-Gatfield preside
Below: School captains Hannah and Riley cut the ribbon

After many years of fundraising and after many weeks of gazing longingly at the beautiful grass through the fence, Playground C was opened at a Grand Opening Afternoon Tea Picnic, held straight after school on Friday.

This fantastic addition to the school has been funded by a variety of grants from the Education Department but also a substantial donation from the P&C. And the P&C is funded by all the fundraising that our fabulous Ferncourt community does. So a big thank you to everyone who helped at the Fair, Halloween disco or Walk-a-thon. All that hard work has paid off!!

What a great night it was, with students showcasing their creativity and for the school community to celebrate visual and performing arts. The Art Show, held every second year, was for the first time in the New Fern Gallery - our new hall and exhbition space. Each class had their own space, displaying a major class artwork and individual artworks. The Muse Gallery showed Ferncourt's engagement in multimedia creative arts. There was a silent auction of artworks contributed by parents and other locals, beautiful food and of course music and dance displays that Ferncourt is now famous for.

Local Schools - Local Decisions - Consultation for parents

Dear Parents

The NSW Government is committed to increasing the number of local decisions made in local schools to better meet the needs of students. A consultation with principals, teachers, regional staff, students, parents and key community stakeholders has commenced.
Parents are invited to participate in a consultation meeting designed to facilitate a conversation about who is best placed to make decisions in and about our schools and to elicit feedback about how to increase the quality, flexibility and relevance of public education available to every child in NSW. Feedback from this process will contribute to the development of a framework for the next steps to enable schools to make better decisions and achieve the best outcomes for students.

A discussion paper provides background for the consultation. This paper sets out some ideas and discussion questions for consultation with principals, teachers, school and regional staff, parents, students, parents  and the broader community on how to achieve this in NSW public schools.

A series of meetings for parents has been scheduled in the next few weeks (please see below). You are encouraged to actively participate in the consultation process.  Please attend any meeting at a venue and time that suits you and there is no need to reply ... just turn up. If you are unable to attend any of these meetings, the consultation website provides an opportunity for teachers to engage with the consultation. Website link here. 

Monday 24October 2011 6.30pm – 8.30pm Kensington Public School Hall Doncaster Avenue Kensington
Tuesday 25 October 2011 6.30pm – 8.30pm Summer Hill Public School Hall Moonbie Street Summer Hill
Wednesday 26 October 2011 6.30pm – 8.30pm Hurstville Public School Hall Forest Road Hurstville

 
Hayley, Stella, Pia and Indie on the job

Guerilla knitting is a new craze sweeping the world and our kids are onto it! Ferncourt runs craft classes for kids after school. This term one thing they learnt was how to knit. They then snuck into our Eco-Learning Area and wrapped their work around a tree. Nature and art - what a perfect combination!