News

2020 Classes

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 14:49:24 AEDT

Our 2020 classes have been finalised and students are all settling in well with their new teachers and groups of peers. We appreciate the patience demonstrated by our families as we worked hard to ensure that all students were accounted for and that classes were formed with no need for further changes. The 2020 classes are as follows:

KR - Mrs Baddour

KM - Mrs Mirabito

KH - Miss Han

KC - Miss Crabbe

KZ - Miss Zanardo

KB - Miss Boustany

1N - Mrs Nurkic

1S - Miss Xuereb

1M - Miss Ohrynowsky

1BN - Mrs Bartlett and Mrs Norris

2L - Mrs Lavery

2P - Mrs Price

2I - Mrs Issar

2Z - Miss Zammit

2S - Miss Small

2/3G - Mrs Goulding

3M - Miss Marketos

3F - Mr Fadaghi

3Z - Miss Zekanovic

3K - Mrs Keasbery

4C - Miss Close

4SN - Mrs Sikorski and Mrs Castillon

4H - Miss Harris

4B - Mrs Bansal

5DL - Mrs Daniela and Mrs Lawrence

5R - Mrs Ryabovitch

5S - Miss Sirin

5K - Mrs Kamas

5/6P - Mr Pereira

6R - Mrs Romer

6V - Mrs Veitch

6S - Miss Shabaz

We look forward to our teachers and parents having the opportunity to meet and discuss 2020 directions for our students at our 'Meet the Teacher' sessions throughout next week. If you have not yet booked your appointment, go to www.schoolinterviews.com.au and enter the event code jrm2n to book a time to meet with your child's teacher.

Welcome back to the 2020 school year!

Fri, 31 Jan 2020 14:35:31 AEDT

After a refreshing summer break we are ready and raring to go for the new school year at Hilltop Road Public School. Students in years 1-6 returned on Wednesday and it was great to see their smiling faces back in our classrooms. Our new kindergarten students have been completing their Best Start assessments and will have their first official day of school on Monday, February 3. We look forward to welcoming all of our new students and families and making them part of our Hilltop Road Public School family this year.

We appreciate our students' and families' patience as we organise our new classes for 2020. We are pleased to see our students straight back to working hard and learning all they can in their holding classes. We will keep you informed of progress as our numbers are finalised and new classes are formed.

There is always an exciting event or two in the works at Hilltop Road, and we are kicking off early this year with our Swimming Carnival on Tuesday, February 4. The carnival will be held at Merrylands Pools, where our students will have the opportunity to compete in various races and have fun with some novelty events. It is set to be a fun day out in the sun!

Thank you to all members of our community for your continued enthusiasm and support. Together, we will certainly make 2020 a year of success!

Coronavirus - Department of Education statement

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 19:03:16 AEDT

The department is working with the Ministry of Health to monitor and respond to the unfolding international novel coronavirus situation.

Get up-to-date information about the department's response to novel coronavirus.

#Ready2020 – a great year starts here

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 13:23:18 AEDT

Starting school is a big moment in a child’s life. Here’s how to make the most of it.

We can’t wait for you to join us for a great year – the first step towards a lifelong love of learning.

Visit the department’s primary school resources for hints, tips and checklists to make a great start to the new school year, whether your child is starting Kindergarten or Year 6.

You’ll find:

Getting ready for primary school booklet – everything you need to be #Ready2020
Daisy’s First Day – the story of Daisy the koala’s first adventure at Kindergarten
advice from teachers – they’ve been through this before.

Video – #Ready2020: First day of Kindy

Duration – 1:00

Staying healthy into the new school year

Fri, 20 Dec 2019 16:43:07 AEDT

Immunisation is a simple, safe and effective way to protect your family from harmful diseases this holiday season and into 2020. Visit your doctor for general health and vaccination advice.

Immunisation not only protects you and your family but also others in your community, by reducing the spread of preventable diseases.

Children starting school in 2020 must have up-to-date immunisations to enrol.

These vaccinations help protect children from highly infectious and severe diseases including whooping cough and measles.

Travel health

If you’re travelling overseas during the school holidays, you may need vaccinations or medication – both for general health protection and for region-specific diseases.

If you’re travelling to the Northern Hemisphere, you may even need a flu shot.

Find out more about staying healthy while travelling.

Fluro for the Fires Disco

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 13:14:20 AEDT

On Wednesday November 27, we held our Fluro for the Fires Disco. Our K-2 students enjoyed their disco from 4.30-6pm, followed by our 3-6 Disco from 6.30-8pm. It was great to see so many of our students coming along to have fun with their friends and support a worthy cause.

Thank you to our SRC for their efforts to organise our disco, and the teachers who supported this event.

Big Day In 2019

Wed, 13 Nov 2019 13:02:17 AEDT

On Thursday October 31, Hilltop Road Public School was very excited to host the Junior Big Day In once again. This was our fourth year hosting the event, which brings a wealth of innovative technology and experiences into the hands of students.

The Junior Big Day In is designed for students in years 5 and 6, with a goal of fostering digital creativity, digital literacy, ICT skill development, design thinking and computational thinking. Our Hilltop Road year 5 and 6 students were joined by others from 16 schools. The students participated in a range of STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) activities including workshops by Apple, Atlassian, UTS, Macquarie University, the Australian Computing Academy and STEMshare, to name a few.

All of the students involved were eager to engage with the activities, technologies and challenges provided on the day. It was, once again, an invaluable opportunity for our students to extend themselves in new ways. Thank you to all of the representatives and schools who joined us to make the day a great success.

NSW schools respond to bushfires

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 17:10:23 AEDT

Many schools are responding to the catastrophic fire rating that is affecting communities across the state this week.

We are continuously updating the School safety page with a list of government and non-government schools, as well as TAFE NSW campuses that are currently non-operational.

While some schools are temporarily non-operational due to localised fires, many others in high-risk areas are non-operational as a precautionary measure.

Schools in some areas are being used as emergency evacuation centres at the direction of the Rural Fire Service.

For schools that are currently operational, school pickups and dropoffs will continue as usual. If your school is currently non-operational, it will likely remain so tomorrow.

Large scale distressing events affect our school communities in many ways. Headspace’s mental health support resource (PDF 100.52KB) is available to help students, teachers and school staff respond to the bushfires.

Visit the School safety page for updates. The department’s Facebook and Twitter accounts will also provide updates during this period.

Grab a ticket to Schools Spectacular 2019

Tue, 22 Oct 2019 16:00:11 AEDT

Will you be joining us at Schools Spectacular 2019? Tickets are on sale now. Experience our live show featuring a cast of thousands of public school students from across metropolitan, rural and remote regions of NSW.

Students from different ages, cultures and backgrounds will share the spotlight as they dance, play and sing for you. Choose from one of our four massive performances at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday 22 November and Saturday 23 November.

This year's events will feature:

more than 380 schools
5,500 performers
a 3000-strong choir
2,300 dancers
an 80-piece symphony orchestra
a world-class stage band.

Group bookings

Need to make a group booking for over 10 people? Complete the Schools Preview Order Form 2019 (PDF 110KB) to attend the discounted 11am Friday matinee. The Friday matinee is discounted for school students and accompanying teachers.

If you’d like to grab a spot at one of the other three remaining shows complete the Group Booking Form 2019 (PDF 110KB).

Tickets for you and your family and friends

Save you and your family a spot online or by phone on 132 849.

Video – Schools Spectacular 2019

Duration: 0:26

First Foot Forward

Fri, 20 Sep 2019 12:56:20 AEST

On Tuesday September 17 and Wednesday September 18, our year 5 and 6 students visitied the University of Western Sydney as part of the First Foot Forward program. This initiative provides primary school students the opportuinty to experience a taste of life at university.

Our students were encouraged to consider the endless possibilities their future holds, as they contemplated tertiary education and career options. They trialled experiences in nursing, coding and design. This was a wonderful experience for our students who came back inspired for their future. Thank you to the University of Western Sydney and the First Foot Forward program for this invaluable opportunity.

Have your say on before and after school care

Fri, 13 Sep 2019 13:37:16 AEST

We want to better understand your needs for before and after school care in NSW.

Have your say today on before and after school care.

Fill out the survey by Service NSW to share your specific care needs and to register interest to stay informed of new developments.

Your input will provide insights into where there are gaps in service availability and help us to deliver extra places where they are needed.

You can also contact the team responsible for rolling out the before and after school care commitment at BASCreform@det.nsw.edu.au.

Book yourself in for Reading Hour

Thu, 12 Sep 2019 11:23:50 AEST

This Australian Reading Hour, encourage your child to discover or rekindle their love of a good book. Take the time to learn, escape and relax on Thursday 19 September and read for one hour.

Get involved at home

Join in at home and read your child a bedtime story. Studies show that reading a bedtime story six days a week can give kids almost a year’s head start when they begin school. Reading has also been shown to develop empathy, promote critical thinking and help children find a sense of self.

Join in from the classroom

Bestselling children’s author and illustrator Matt Stanton will broadcast live to primary school children across the country from the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday 17 September. We invite schools to register for the livestream of this free event.

Stanton’s author talk is among more than 140 events happening across the country involving more than 50 authors.

Take the Book Swap Challenge

We all have favourite books that we come back to again and again.

To help celebrate Reading Hour take our Book Swap Challenge. We want students, teachers, staff and parents to try reading something new on the day. To get involved, simply pair up with someone and swap your favourite books.

Take a photo and tag it with #ReadingHour so we can see how you got involved.

Video – #ReadingHour authors talk about their favourite place to read

Duration: 0:38

Looking for a good spot to open a book? We asked authors Benjamin Law, Morris Gleitzman, Jacqueline Harvey and Mick Elliott about their favourite place to read.

Celebrating the Arts

Fri, 06 Sep 2019 10:38:45 AEST

The Celebrating the Arts Festival is conducted each year to showcase the talent of NSW primary school students in a range of performing arts. Hilltop Road Public School always enjoys the opportunity for our students to shine on the stage at Riverside Theatre in Parramatta. This year was no exception, with our Junior Dance Group, 3-6 Hip Hop Dance Group, 3-6 Ballet Group and 3-6 Choir all performing on the night.

The Festival was held on Monday, September 2, with a rehearsal during the day and performance in the evening. It was a long and exciting day for our performers, who did a fabulous job representing our school both with their finesse onstage and their behaviour backstage. Thank you to Miss Sirin, Mrs Mirabito, Miss Marketos, Miss Crabbe, Miss Han and Miss Debby for their hard work preparing our performers throughout the year, and supporting them on the night. Thank you also to the parents who came along to watch and show their support.

How to be smart and safe on social media

Thu, 05 Sep 2019 11:43:46 AEST

Use our new Digital Citizenship toolkit to empower your child to understand how their online behaviour affects themselves and others.

You and your child can find information on:

how to ‘be positive’ by understanding online behaviour and its effect
'be smart’ by thinking critically and being digitally aware
'be safe’ by protecting your security, privacy and wellbeing.

A toolkit to empower you and your child

You can find articles and videos to equip and empower your child to minimise the risks and maximise the opportunities in our digital future.

We’ve partnered with leading researchers to produce a curated toolkit – aligned to the curriculum – which teachers and you can share with the young people in your lives.

Guide your child through important concepts such as:

managing privacy settings in social media
collaborating online
avoiding scams and hoaxes
understanding the law when it comes to online speech
Internet banking, shopping online and much more.

Keep your child safe and happy online

Visit and bookmark the Digital Citizenship website. We’ll continue to add articles and resources to ensure the best possible tools are available to help you guide your child to be positive, smart and safe online.

PBL at Hilltop Road

Fri, 16 Aug 2019 15:52:08 AEST

Project Based Learning has been successfully implemented at Hilltop Road for several years, and we are always excitied to see our students showcasing the results of their projects. In the last couple of weeks, we have enjoyed PBL exhibitions from our Kindergarten, year 1 and year 3 students.

Kindergarten has completed a project developing the concept of appreciation, by demonstrating their appreciation of nature. Students researched trees and the different types and uses of trees. They enjoyed an excurison to Auburn Botanic Gardens and an array of hands on experiences to support their research. Our kindergarten students also developed their language skills and rhyming. For their final exhibition, students selected a particular type of tree for which to demonstrate their appreciation. They created artworks and wrote and recorded rhyming couplets. Our students presented their work with confidence and we were extrememly proud of their efforts.

Year 1 recently completed a science based project, developing their understanding of force and motion. They conducted experiments in the classroom and in the Makerspace with Mr Phil, to build their knowledge of different types of forces, such as push, pull and friction, and how they effect objects. To share their undertstanding, students designed and made a toy they could use to demonstrate force and motion. We were very impressed with year 1's toy creations, and the explanations they shared with us at their PBL exhibition.

Year 3 engaged in a project to deepen their knowledge of Australia's history and geography. After building their background knowledge of significant people, places and events in Australia's history, students in groups selected a unique Australian destination to research. They created a poster, brochure and third product of their choice, to promote their destination. Some of the third products included green screen videos, raps, models, presentations, artworks and food. Year 3 showcased their destinations at an Australian Travel Expo. Everyone who came along was excited to find out about so many interesting Australian places and hear the studnets share their knowledge to promote their destinations.

Congratulations to all of the students who have showcased their work at our recent PBL exhibitions. We are very proud of the way they lead and articulate their learning. We are looking forward to seeing what is to come in our future exhibitions.

Spelling Bee

Fri, 02 Aug 2019 00:27:32 AEST

Hilltop Road's super spellers were exercising all of their phonological muscles on Tuesday July 30 as they competed in our Spelling Bee. The competition was held in our school library, with our year 3 and 4 students competing in the morning and our year 5 and 6 students competing after recess.

The competition was tight with a lot of skilled spellers trying their best to make it through each round. It was great to see so many students taking a chance and putting their skills to the test. As the words got increasingly complicated, more and more spellers were eliminated, until we were left with our champions. Congratulations to Angelina and Harshika from 4SV, Robbie from 6C and Hans from 6R. These students will be going on to compete in the Regional Finals on September 11th at Jasper Road Public School.

A big thank you to Miss Shabaz for organising the competition and Miss Rowley, Miss Sirin and Miss Xuereb for helping to run it.

Education Week – Every student, every voice

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 14:07:59 AEST

We are celebrating our students and their powerful voices this Education Week Monday 5 August to Friday 9 August. Every year Education Week celebrates the achievements of public schools, our students and the value of public education.

This year, the theme is Every student, every voice.

Join us for #EdWeek19 as we celebrate our students and their power to shape the world.

Video – #EdWeek19 – Every student, every voice

Duration: 0:34

Play Leaders and Book Bees Induction

Fri, 05 Jul 2019 10:51:03 AEST

At our K-6 assembly on Thursday July 4, we had the official induction of our year 5 Play Leaders and year 2 Book Bees for 2019.

The Play Leaders program has been running at our school since 2006. It provides the opportunity for our year 5 students to take on a leadership role on the playgrund. They manage and distribute sporting equipment to the younger students and organise and run games. Each year, interested year 5 students partake in training, and those who demonstrate suitable leadership qualities are selected as Play Leaders.

The Book Bees have been assisting with the running of the Hilltop Road Book Hive since its inception in 2015. The Book Hive was created to provide our students and community members the opportunity to enjoy books on the playground. The Book Bees are selected from year 2 to manage the Book Hive and share the books with younger students on the playground.

The Play Leaders receive red hats and badges, while the Book Bees receive yellow hats bearing the Book Hive logo, to make them easily recognisable on the playground. Our students were very proud to be inducted as playground leaders.

Creative and Active Kids vouchers now available

Fri, 14 Jun 2019 11:38:46 AEST

Creative kids can now put a $100 voucher towards extra-curricular creative activities outside of school.

Together with Active Kids, this program aims to encourage more NSW children to participate in a range of extra-curricular activities such as coding, languages, circus, performing arts and visual arts.

Parents can apply for one $100 voucher for each child enrolled in school on the Creative Kids website and use it towards the cost of registration, participation or tuition. You just redeem the voucher with a registered provider in your area when making your payment.

This is a great opportunity for your child to become involved in a range of activities that will build on their education, growth and development.

Service NSW is working with industry bodies to deliver the program.

For more information, contact Service NSW on 137 788 or creativekids@service.nsw.gov.au.

Synergy Dance Festival

Fri, 14 Jun 2019 10:57:36 AEST

This week our Hip Hop and Contemporary Ballet Dance Groups were very excited to perform at the Synergy Dance Festival. The festival, held annually at the Evan Theatre, Penrith Panthers, provides public school students with the opportunity to perform in a professional dance environment.

Our groups performed at the matinee on Wednesday June 12 and evening performance on Thursday June 13. The students have been working very hard in preparation for their first performance for the year and their hard work payed off. Their performances were lively and entertaining and they represented our school with pride. Thank you to the families and staff who supported the students on the night.

H-Pop Studios Second Podcast

Fri, 07 Jun 2019 11:00:08 AEST

After several months of hard work, with support from Mrs Turrini, Tyrone, and the H-Pop Studio team, our students have produced their second podcast - 'What Matters to Me'. Click on the link below to listen to the songs, interviews and more:

https://soundcloud.com/hpopstudios/what-matters-to-me

The Game Changer Challenge is back

Fri, 31 May 2019 12:24:32 AEST

It’s not too late to become a Game Changer with applications for the Education Week challenge due by 7 June.

The Game Changer Challenge brings 16 teams from public schools across NSW – eight from primary and eight from secondary – to Sydney during Education Week in August for a three-day, intensive design-thinking workshop.

The Game Changer workshops, which start on Tuesday 6 August, includes teacher training in the use of design thinking as a teaching methodology and its application for school planning.

It also includes a team competition where schools will work under the guidance of experts from industry and academia to develop a solution to this year’s critical question: How might we humanise technology?

Department of Education Secretary Mark Scott has encouraged students and teachers to get behind the event as it highlights the critical thinking students will need to develop to succeed in the future.

“The Game Changer Challenge is an exciting initiative that helps educate and inform our students and teachers on how to integrate the problem-solving methodology of design thinking into the classroom,” Mr Scott says.

“It embraces the 21^st century skills our students will need to thrive in a globalised world such as collaboration, creative thinking and communication.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our students at all levels to be involved in discussing and addressing a real-world issue that will affect their future lives. I encourage every school to get involved.”

The challenge is designed to make strong learning and teaching connections to the NSW syllabus specifically in the area of developing general capabilities such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, communication and problem-solving.

The challenge also provides teachers with an opportunity to gain exposure to the design thinking process and includes teacher resources to introduce this creative problem-solving methodology into the classroom.

Finalists will be selected based on a 60-second video that showcases your team’s vision around the question of humanising technology.

For more information email edweek@det.nsw.edu.au or visit the Game Changer Challenge page.

Showcasing Learning at HRPS

Fri, 24 May 2019 10:52:57 AEST

On Wednesday May 22 we were very pleased to play host to two visiting schools. Representatives all the way from Allendale Primary School in Western Australia and nearby Auburn West Public School joined us to find out about teaching and learning at Hilltop Road Public School.

Our visitors toured some of our clasrooms and had the opportunity to see teaching and learning in action. We shared some of our strategies and approaches such as Discovery Time, Socratic Seminars, Self Organised Learning Environments (SOLE) and Learning Intentions and Success Criteria (LISC).

We also shared some of our past PBL projects, inluding the living museum, gold rush, farmers market and several others. Some of our students hosted a question and answer session and took the opportunity to share their perspective on teaching and learning at our school.

Our Western Australian visitors also took the time to share a presentation of some of the processes and strategies they have had success with at their school. Thank you to all of our colleagues for making the effort to visit Hilltop Road and build our collective knowledge and skills.

Cross Country Carnival

Fri, 17 May 2019 10:46:20 AEST

On Tuesday May 7, we held our annual Cross Country Carnival at Ted Burge Oval. All of our students in year 3 to 6, as well as some eager 8 year olds from year 2, brought a great energy to the day as they completed the races and cheered on their sports houses. Congratulations to the following students in each age group:

8/9 Year Olds -

1st - Chelsea 3/4H and Phoenix 3Z

2nd - Jana 3Z and Khoder 3/4H

3rd - Darcy 2L and Matty 3Z

4th - Amber 4/5R and Timothy 4N

10 Year Olds -

1st - Emily 5S and Hayden 4SV

2nd - Rumaysa 4/5R and Samuel 5B

3rd - Leona 4N and Mohammed 5B

4th - Hannah 5B and Jehad 5S

11 Year Olds -

1st - Kaylee 5DC and Macrich 6K

2nd - Kate 6P and Dylan 6C

3rd - Emma 6R and Jack 6C

4th - Hannah 4/5R and Caylen 5DC

12/13 Year Olds -

1st - Tegan 6C and Ben 6C

2nd - Valentina 6P and Simon 6C

3rd - Yasmin 6P and Jokubus 6P

4th - Sanet 6C and Kaan 6P

The winning house on the day was Jackson with 121 points, followed by McKay with 87 points, Bradman with 82 points and Newcombe with 74 points.

Thank you to Miss Shabaz and the teachers who helped to organsie and run the carnival, and the parents who came along to support our runners on the day.

Your NAPLAN questions answered

Thu, 09 May 2019 15:15:44 AEST

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The tests assess the foundational skills in reading, writing, spelling and numeracy that are essential for every child to progress through school and life.

This year NAPLAN takes place between 14 and 16 May for paper tests and between 14 and 24 May for schools participating in NAPLAN Online.

NAPLAN data is used to help monitor student progress over time against a national measure and to identify areas of strength and improvement. It is used in combination with other school assessments to guide and support student learning.

Watch students ask an expert the tough questions about NAPLAN.

Video – Kids ask the hard questions

Duration – 3:45

Apply now for My Community Project funding

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 15:10:36 AEST

Do you have a great idea to improve your area?

My Community Project is a new NSW Government funding program that is all about local ideas, local projects and local decisions.

You can apply now for grants from $20,000 - $200,000 for projects that will make a difference to your community. Projects could include new playground equipment, sports facilities, paths or ramps to improve access, public art or a community service.

The local community can vote for their favourite projects in July and successful projects will be announced in September.

Project applications close 15 May 2019.

Apply for My Community Project funding

Bring back memories, not measles

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 15:19:21 AEST

With school holidays just around the corner, it’s time to visit your doctor to check that you and your family are fully protected against measles, before you travel overseas.

Measles is a serious, highly contagious, viral illness that is easily spread through the air when an infectious person coughs, sneezes or breathes. If you and your family are not fully vaccinated, or have never been vaccinated, you are at risk of contracting measles.

Not sure if you’re fully protected?

In Australia, the measles vaccine (MMR) consists of 2 doses. If you’re not sure whether you’ve had 2 doses of the measles vaccine, visit your doctor. It’s safe to receive another dose.

Children born in Australia

If your children were born in Australia, they may have received the measles vaccine at 12 months old and the second dose at 18 months, in accordance with the National Immunisation Program.
If you have a baby under 12 months old, consult your doctor about getting their measles vaccination.

Adults born in Australia

Born before 1966 – you were most likely exposed to measles as a child and are generally considered to be immune. If in doubt, ask your GP.
Born between 1966 and 1994 – you may not have received 2 doses. Talk to your doctor about the free vaccine if you’re unsure.
Born after 1994 – the National Immunisation Program offers 2 doses, and you can check your vaccination status using the Australian Immunisation Register.

For more information about the measles vaccination, visit NSW Health or consult your local doctor.

Kindergarten "When I Grow Up" Day

Fri, 05 Apr 2019 13:25:59 AEDT

As part of their 'All About Us' Project Based Learning, kindergarten have been investigating what makes each of us unique and special. They have learnt about individual traits and interests, different families and different roles within families, and roles within the community.

To celebrate their learning and represent their individual interests, students came to school on Friday April 5th dressed up as what they want to be when they grow up. Everyone looked so grown up in their outfits and it was great to hear our youngest students talking about their aspirations to be everything from police and fire fighters to doctors and dolphin trainers.

Harmony Day Basketball Tournament

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 21:53:12 AEDT

As part of our Harmomy Day celebrations, we held our first Harmony Day Basketball Tournament in memory of Trish Hata. Trish was a beloved Hilltop Road mother, community member and friend who, at our 2018 Harmony Day assembly, spoke about how meaningful the sense of community she felt at Hilltop Road was to her life. This Harmony Day, and for every Harmony Day to follow, we will remember and celebrate her legacy of laughter, friendship and belonging with a basketball tournament.

The tournament was a knock-out between eight teams, each comprising of a mix of staff, current and former students, parents and community members. The competition on the court was friendly and fierce, with plenty of action packed into the seven minute games! The teamwork and sportsmanship demonstrated within and between the teams on the court prefectly represented the spirit of Harmony Day. Students, teachers and parents who were spectators were riveted througout all of lunch time as they cheered on each team and admired their skills on the court. The whole school gathered to watch the final match and see which team would be declared winners.

The final game was followed by a touching speech from Leyann Te Ruki, honouring the memory of Trish Hata, and the unveiling of the stunning trophy which was carved by one of our Hilltop dads, Piho Samuel Te Whare. The trophy and medals were awarded to our winning team. Family and friends of Trish Hata and members of our school's Maori and Pacific Island community then sang a beautiful Maori song of peace and harmomy.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our tournament and helped to organise it. Particular thanks to Ms Catherine and Leyann Te Ruki for bringing this special event to our school.

Harmony Day 2019

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 20:41:59 AEDT

On Thursday March 21, Hilltop Road Public School celebrated Harmony Day with a range of events for our whole school community.

We kicked off in the morning with whole school Zumba in the hall. Mrs Sleiman, our resident Zumba instructor, ran the session with back-up from some of our year 3 students, and energised everyone with her enthusiastic dancing. It was great to see all of our students and staff dancing together in the spirit of harmomy.

Later in the day, we unveiled our updated 'Humans of Hilltop' wall. Originally completed as a PBL project, the wall by our office shines a spotlight on memebers of our school communty. From students and staff to parents and friends from our wider school community, the 'Humans of Hilltop' wall helps to celebrate the diversity of our school community which makes us so special.

In recognition of our diversity and the fact that "every face has a place" at Hilltop Road, we also completed a mini PBL project on uniqueness this term. The culminating task of that project, a self-portrait through which students represent their unique identity, has been displayed in our classrooms. As part of our Harmomy Day celebrations, students visited each other's classrooms to admire their peers' artworks and appreciate the uniqueness each one of us brings to Hilltop Road. The array of creative artworks and moving annotations displayed across the school was truly impressive.

Our first K-6 Assembly was also held on Harmony Day, hosted by 1/2G and 3Z. This gave us another opportunity to come together and celebrate our achievements, awarding citizenship awards and enjoying the entertaining performance by our host classes.

Following the assembly we had a community picnic lunch and our Harmony Day Basketball Tournament, which was so exciting it has its own news article! Click back to home to read more.

Everyone in attendance agreed that you could feel the sense of harmony at HIlltop Road Public School. Thank you to all memebrs of our community for making our school such a harmonious place every day of the year, and particularly to Ms Catherine and the team who helped us all to celebrate that harmony on Harmony Day!

H-Pop Studio's Premiere Podcast

Sun, 17 Mar 2019 23:17:50 AEDT

Last year we were very excited to launch H-Pop Studio, Hilltop Road's own recording studio equipped with all of the profesional equipment required for our students to create, record and share their own content. Now we are even more excited to release our first podcast!

Click the links below to hear what our students have produced:

https://soundcloud.com/hpopstudios/podcast-one-2019-iwd (Podcast)

https://soundcloud.com/hpopstudios/iwd-bonus-content-interviews (IWD Bonus Material)

https://soundcloud.com/hpopstudios/podcast-one-infants-version-2019 (Podcast Infants Version)

2019 PBL Conference

Fri, 08 Mar 2019 12:58:27 AEDT

On February 27-28, Hilltop Road Public School was proud to host leaders in future-focused education and project based learning, David and Clare Price, as they led their annual conference on project based learning. Teachers from our own school were joined by a multitude of teachers from other schools around Sydney to participate in this valuable professional learning experience.

Previous Hilltop Road projects were showcased as models of excellence, and many of our students and staff spoke at the confeference to inspire and teach other teachers about the value of project based learnig, and how best to implement this practice. We are particularly proud of all of our students who spoke so confidently and with such passion about their past projects and learning.

Swimming Carnival 2019

Fri, 08 Mar 2019 13:02:30 AEDT

On Friday February 22, Hilltop Road Public School held our annual swimming carnival at Wentworthville Swimming Centre. We arrived by bus in the morning, ready for a fun day of races, novelty events and cheering on our house representatives.

Congratulations to all students who participated and earned points for their house. In particular, congratulations to the followig students who will be represeneting our school at the zone carnival on Tuesday March 5:

Open 100m - Timothy Buultjens

8 years 50m Freestyle - Daniel Moghaddas, Tayah Biggar and Daniel Karabulut

9 years 50m Freestyle - Timothy Buultjens, Mikayla Cardis-Hillier and Marcus Chang

10 Years 50m Freestyle - Jack Younan, Hannah Kasaab, Nojus Urbonas and Lara Karabulut

11 years 50m Freestyle - Ali Sina Bayani, Kate Bailey, Adam Hadi and Kaylee Andrews

12 years 50m Freestyle - Jokubas Urbonas, Lillian Murphy and Ben Khalilian

Congratulations also to our winning house, Jackson. We wish all our swimmers the best as they move on to the zone carnvial.

5 road safety tips for parents and carers

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 13:24:39 AEDT

Now that students are back to school after a break it’s a good time to chat with your child about safe behaviours when you walk or commute to school.

Here are our top tips to help our students make a safe trip:

1. Be alert and aware

Take note of the dangers you come across on your walk and bring them to your child’s attention. Point out dangers, such as vehicles coming out of driveways. Talk to your child about being alert in a road environment.

2. Hold hands

When on the footpath, at a crossing or in a car park always hold your child's hand. It is advised to do this up to the age of at least 8 years old and closely supervise until at least the age of 10.

3. Choose a safe crossing

Lead by example and choose a safe place to cross the road. Explain why it is the safest place to cross.

4. Set a good example

Your child watches everything you do, so if you cross at the crossing they will too. It is also important to share these messages with other carers who may walk with your child to school.

5. Stop, Look, Listen, Think every time you cross the road

Discuss this important road safety message. STOP! one step back from the kerb. LOOK! continuously both ways. LISTEN! for the sounds of approaching traffic. THINK! whether it is safe to cross.

Practise makes perfect

The more supervised practice your child can get the better, so why not make Term 1 the start of a new routine to walk with your child to school more often.

Older children may be ready to make the journey to school independently. Before they take this step, observe if they are road safe and reinforce the road safety messages.

For more information, check out the department’s pedestrian safety advice for students, parents and carers.

Back to school

Fri, 25 Jan 2019 15:00:20 AEDT

The first day of Kindergarten and the return to school in the new year are busy times for your child – and for the entire family. To help you make the most of this time and enjoy the experience, we’ve compiled some useful tips and checklists. We want every student to be known, valued and cared for in our schools.

Our film #FirstDay2019 captures the excitement – and the nerves – of the rite of passage that is the first day of Kindergarten.

Video – Back to School 2019: First Day at Kindy

Duration – 1:00

Farewell 2018!

Wed, 19 Dec 2018 21:02:15 AEDT

After four terms of hard work, deep learning, stepping it up, fun events and everlasting memories, the 2018 school year has come to an end! It has been a busy few weeks at Hilltop Road Public School in the lead up to school holidays, with many special events for our students and community.

On Friday December 7, we held our annual Carols night. The rain stayed away and the night was once again a great success. Our lawn was filled with happy Hilltop families, singing along to classic carols and enjoying each other's company as we celebrated the festive season. Thank you to everyone who attended and the staff who organised the event.

As an end of year treat we had our K-2 Movie Day on Friday December 14, and 3-6 Movie Day on Monday December 17. Our students travelled to the cinemas and enjoyed popcorn and a drink as they watcehd the Wreck it Ralph sequel, Ralph Wrecks the Internet. It was a fun day out for everyone and a great way to relax after a year of solid work.

On Tuesday December 18 we formally farewelled our Year 6 students at their graduation ceremony. This was a night of mixed emotions; happiness to see our students so ready to move on to high school, sadness to see them leaving Hilltop Road and pride for all they have learnt and the poeple they have grown to be during their seven years with us. We know that Year 6 2018 has a bright future ahead of them and wish them all the very best in high school and beyond.

On our last day of schol for the year, we enjoyed our annual Talent Quest. The show, organised and hosted by our resident showman Mr Hall-Watson, saw a wide array of amazing talent from our students. Dancers, actors, musicians and comedians entertained us all with their performances. Thank you to Mr Hall-Watson, Mrs Price and all the students who made our last day so enjoyable.

While in the hall we also took the opportunity to farewell Mrs Whale. Mrs Whale has been an amazing memebr of our school community in her role as chaplain for the last rfive years, She has supported countless, students, staff memebers and families and made a real difference in people's lives. We thank her for the lasting impact she has left on our communtiy and wish her all the best in her future endeavours. Farewell and thanks were also given to Mr Romero who, after working at our school in various teaching roles throughout this year, is moving on to a new school in 2019. We thank him for his hard work and wish him all the best.

We hope and trust that all members of the Hilltop Road Public School community can look back on 2018 with a smile and be proud of their achievements. Thank you for making our school the special place that it is. We wish everyone a happy holidays, Merry Christmas and amazing New Year, when we will see you all back at school ready for all that 2019 has in store!

Kindergarten PBL Exhibition

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 16:51:20 AEDT

On Monday November 26, Kindergarten held their Agricultural Show PBL Exhibition. Students showcased their learning about the important role of farms in our everdyday lives. Families, community members and educational leaders from the NSW Royal Agricultural Society visited each stall and were informed about the processes a wide array of products undergo from crop to shop.

Our youngest students demonstrated deep knowledge and understanding of how various foods and products take the journey from farms to us. Further information could be found by scanning the QR codes in their specially printed information books, which linked to online texts and diagrams providing further insights. All of the visitors who attended the Agricultural Show were impressed with the kindergraten students' presentations of their learning. Well done to the kindergarten students and teachers!

Principal's Network Awards

Fri, 23 Nov 2018 14:37:08 AEDT

On Wednesday November 21, Ms See, Mrs Brown and Mrs Baddour attended the Principal's Network Awards for 2018. These awards are held annually to celebrate exceptional teachers in New South Wales schools. This year our very own Mrs Baddour was the recipient of an award in the category of 'Teacher in an Executive Role'. Mrs Baddour works tirelessly in her role as kindergarten supervisor to ensure that all kindergarten students at Hilltop Road are supported and nurtured for the best possible start in their school life. We congratulate Mrs Baddour and are proud to have her at Hilltop Road Public School.

2019 school budget allocations

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 16:24:56 AEDT

Like all NSW public schools, this week we will receive a School Budget Allocation Report with our funding for 2019. The report will help us manage our total budget delivered through the Resource Allocation Model (RAM).

The RAM supports schools through needs-based funding to ensure a fair, efficient and transparent allocation of funds. Our school has the flexibility to make local decisions based on the specific needs of our students.

We will use our 2019 funding to support students and improve educational outcomes. The school executive will continue to work with the school community as we implement the school plan using this needs-based funding.

Learn more about the 2019 RAM funding.

Year 4 PBL

Fri, 02 Nov 2018 14:44:39 AEDT

Year 4 Zoo Snooze

Fri, 26 Oct 2018 14:52:24 AEDT

Invictus Games

Fri, 26 Oct 2018 14:53:07 AEDT

Kids Teaching Kids

Fri, 31 Aug 2018 13:12:30 AEST

On Tuesday August 28, a group of our Year 4 students were very luckly to take part in the opportunity to visit Sydney Airport as part of the Kids Teaching Kids initiative. The Kids Teaching Kids model aims to inspire the leaders of the future with an environmental conscience. It draws on local environmental issues as a theme and focus for learning while fostering resilience and self-esteem for students as they learn that they have the power to change the world around them.

During their excursion, our Year 4 students went behind the scenes at the airport and learnt about how their systems work. More importantly, they studied sustainabilty and looked at ways to run the airport with an environmental conscience. It was an invaluable experience for our Kids Teaching Kids team. Thank you to the Year 4 teachers for organsing this opportunity.

Farewell Mr Kent

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 17:07:55 AEST

On Friday, July 27th, we farewelled Mr Kent after nine and a half years at Hilltop Road Public School. During his time at our school, both as a classroom teacher and specialist STEM/technology teacher, Mr Kent has impacted on hundreds of children. He has taught the students, staff and community of Hilltop Road invaluable new skills and introduced us to a range of new technologies that have become embedded in our teaching and learning. As we have embraced our 21st century learning approach, Mr Kent has been a driving force and great support in navigating new technologies and approaches.

We held a small assembly to thank Mr Kent for all he has done here at Hilltop Road. Students from kindergarten to year 6 spoke about the variety of new skills he has taught them, and the fun they always had in his lessons. We know Mr Kent will continue to inspire even more students in his new role at STEM Share for the Department of Education. We wish him all the very best for his future!

Year 5 bike education

Fri, 25 May 2018 13:17:42 AEST

On Tuesday April 3, classes 5L and 5R visited Campbelltown City Coucil Bicycle and Road Safety Education Centre. This provided the opportuinty for students to transfer the skills they have been developing in their bike lessons at school to a different context.

The students improved their confidence in riding safely and being aware road users. We thank the Year 5 teachers and Campbelltown City Council Bicycle and Road Safety Education Centre for supporting our students on this day.

Semester 1 student representative council induction

Thu, 05 Jul 2018 16:59:47 AEST

On Wednesday, March 7th, we held our Semester 1 student representative council (SRC) induction. This special assembly gave us the opportunity to recognise many of the model citizens of Hilltop Road Public School who have been selected as leaders and representatives of our school, their class or sporting house. Congratulations to the following students:

Captains - Helen Macpherson and Alen Kacanic

Vice-captains - Dilara Elveren and Adam Elwan

Prefects - Jenan Ammoun, Bianca Brooks, Lujane ELwan, Tiffany Marinc, Zac Calleja, Jason Dalton, James Masterton and Zaine Price

Class captains:

1A - Saraiya Te Whare and Rohan Patel

1M - Chelsea Kacanic and Khalid Elwan

1P - Nevaeh Penerata and Benjamin Tan

1S - Darcy Phillips and Malachi Mataele

1TC - Ellie Wu and Joab Seve

2H - Zoha Haider and Rayhan Hala

2N - Arianna Amini and Jack Dougherty

2S - Mikayla Cardis-Hillier and Matthew Perrin

2W - Chelsea Harland and Daniel Moghaddas

3F - Sasha Bou Mina and Harry Koroma

3HW - Chelsey O'Donoughue and Idris Akbary

3R - Chantal Biberian and Darcy Coote

3/4B - Ruby Stimpson and Farzad Ahmadi

4N - Katerina Bozic and Mohammed Elwan

4R - Carly Thorpe and Emre Yilmaz

4SV - Ghezal Aksaryar and Yasin Khavari

5L - Emma Kusumo and Jamie Orayenza

5R - Valentina Pandurevic and Simon Koroma

5ZT - Larissa Sousou and Jack Perrin

5/6I - Manaki Te Whare and Kingston Fenton

6C - Melodi Ustabas and Wilstar Isaaka

6K - Jamie-Lia Bou Francis and Abas Kazemi

6P - Hadeel Kashba and Leonidus Toevai

Sports house captains:

Bradman - Hadeel Kashba and Jets Tau

Vice Captains - Assya Ghenima and Khyus Hossain

Jackson - Sarah El Khatib and Andy Galway

Vice Captains - Angelina Boutros and Jack Perrin

McKay - Ashna Khatiwada and Leonidus Toevai

Vice Captains - Kate Bailey and Simon Koroma

Newcombe - Melodi Ustabas and Abas Kazemi

Vice Captains - Lisa Boumina and Robbie Lavery

We are very proud of our student representative council and look forward to seeing them blossom as leaders this semester.

Farewell Mrs Doust

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:03:35 AEDT

On Wednesday, February 21st, Hilltop Road Public School bid farewell to a greatly valued member of our school community. Mrs Doust is moving on to the next chapter in her life after 17 years of loyal service to our school.

During her time at Hilltop Road she made many positive impacts. Mrs Doust worked in our school office and in the classrooms supporting refugee students, worked tirelessly to ensure all students have had access to a one-to-one XO or Infinity device, supported and led environmental initiatives, and always been a passionate and caring presence in our school.

We will miss Mrs Doust, and wish her all the best for her future beyond Hilltop Road Public School.

Meet the Teacher Afternoons

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:03:48 AEDT

Throughout Week 5, we hosted our Meet the Teacher Afternoons. These provide an invaluable opportunity for teachers and parents to meet, discuss their children, find out about the curriculum of their new grade and share goals for the year.

Thank you to all of our teachers for opening up their classrooms and making themselves available, as always, to give time to each of their students and their parents. Thank you also to all of their parents who made the time to come in and meet with their child's teacher. We look forward to working in partnership to provide the best for our students.

2018 Swimming Carnival

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:03:26 AEDT

On Monday, February 19th, we held our annual Swimmimg Carnival at Merrylands Swimming Centre. All of our 3-6 classes, and a few of our older Year 2 students, attended the carnival and enjoyed the day out in the sunshine. Age races were held in freestyle, backstroke, breastroke and butterfly. The age champions also competed in a relay against Miss Close, Mr Kent and Miss Close. Swimmers earned points for their houses, Newcombe, Jackson, McKay and Bradman, and a winning house will be announced soon.

Settling into New Classes

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:04:03 AEDT

After moving from our holding classes into our new classes for 2018, everyone is settling in nicely with their teachers and classmates. Our 2018 classes are:

KZ	Alessia Zanardo	3F	Vafa Fadaghi
KR	Ronya Baddour	3R	Jane Rowley
KG	Kasandra Goulding	3HW	Scott Hall-Watson
KY	Natasha Yates	3/4B	Manju Bansal
KC	Caitlin Crabbe	4SV	Joanne Sikorski (M-T) Emma Veitch ( W-F)
KH	Emerald Han	4R	Cheryl Romer
KP	Louise Price	4N	Noreen Shabaz
1A	Anastasia Miliotis	5L	Kate Lavery
1M	Eleni Marketos	5R	Donna Ryabovitch
1P	Patrick Cuskelly	5ZT	Ivana Zekanovic (M-W) Tamara Turrini (T-F)
1S	Ilge Sirin	5/6I	Namita Issar
1TC	Tara Mirabito ( M-W) Nancy Castillon ( Th-F)	6C	Ruth Close
2S	Rita Sleiman	6K	Gonul Kamas
2N	Mary Nurkic	6P	Shane Pereira
2H	Nicole Harris
2W	Evan Williamson

Thank you for your patience while we formed classes and for supporting our students as they adjust to their new classes.

Welcome Back 2018!

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:04:09 AEDT

We are very excited to welcome our students, staff, families and community back to Hilltop Road Public School for 2018! We commenced the new school year with our Staff Development Day on Monday, January 29th. Our teachers took part in training to improve our work with Seesaw, the 7 Mindsets program, and the principals of teaching reading, writing, mathematics and project based learning.

We welcomed our Years 1-6 students back to school on Tuesday. It was great to see our students back, refreshed after the summer holidays and ready to enter their new grade. Students returned to holding classes with their classmates and teacher from 2017 while we organise our new classes to ensure a smooth transition. In holding classes students are working on their understanding of our PB4L rules and values, the 7 Mindsets, mathematics with a focus on place value, and their usual ongoing literacy development. We thank you for your patience during this time.

This week we have also been excited to welcome our new Kindergarten students and families. Throughout the week our incoming kindergarten students have each sat for the Best Start interview, and they will commence their school life in their new classes on Monday, February 5th.

We look forward to another productive, exciting, engaging and fun year of learning for our whole community at Hilltop Road Public School!

Farewell 2017!

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:03:35 AEDT

In what seems like the blink of an eye, another school year has come to an end at Hilltop Road Public School. Looking back on the past four terms, we are so proud of all the amazing work that has been produced by our school community. With each year that passes, we are increasingly impressed by our students and their commitment to learning and achieving their goals, from our newest kindergarten students to our year 6 students preparing to move on to high school.

Every student in our school has engaged with meaningful projects, solved real problems, reflected on themselves as learners and stepped it up to improve. The impressive work of our students has been made possible thanks to the dedication of our teachers, who always strive to provide the best learning opportunities for our students and guide them in setting and achieving relevant learning goals. Our teachers and students thrive with the support of our parents and wider community, who in turn have engaged with workshops, PBL exhibitions, and a plethora of school and community events. From our play group and Ready Set Go children, right up to our friends at Merrylands RSL, and everyone in between, we wish to extend our deepest gratitude for the part every member of our school community plays in making our school such a special place. We are so proud of everyone's achievements this year, and look forward to seeing what 2018 has in store for us all.

We also take this opportunity to farewell our outgoing year 6 students. Throughout their time at Hilltop Road Public School, they have grown as learners and individuals. We send them to high school with the confidence that they are prepared to take on any and all of the challenges life may throw their way. Good luck in high school, and remember you are always part of the Hilltop Road family.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas, happy New Year and relaxing summer break. Enjoy the time with your families and we look forward to seeing our years 1-6 students back at school on Tuesday, January 30th, with Kindergarten Best Start interviews also commencing on that day. Happy holidays!

Chinese Delegates Visit

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:03:29 AEDT

On Friday, November 24th, we had a special visit from a group of Chinese teachers. They came to Australia to visit and learn about schooling in Australia. At Hilltop Road Public School, they visited KR, 2S, 4R, 6C and 4B and gained an insight into how we embed technology, student engaged assessment, PBL and a variety of quality practices in our teaching and learning.

They also shared lunch with our school executive. This provided a great opportunity for our visitors to ask and find out more about our school, and for us to find out more about schooling in China.

We thank our visitors for coming to Hilltop Road and sharing with us.

Cumberland Council Garden Winners

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:03:32 AEDT

On Tuesday, November 14th, Ms See and Mr Balafas attended the Cumberland Council Garden Awards. This annual event recognises the efforts of local schools, communities, businesses and individuals who make our community a more beautiful place by creating impressive gardens. There are several awards presented in different categories.

This year, our school was nominated as a contender for the best school or community garden and we are very proud to announce that we won! We share our award with joint recipients, Auburn Public School. We thank Mr Balafas, Mr Martin and everyone who contributes to making our school grounds worthy of this prestigious award. We are very lucky to have such beautiful gardens in our school, and proud of the recognition we have received from Cumberland Council.

Kindergarten 2018 Orientation

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:03:42 AEDT

On Thursday the 2nd and 9th of November, we welcomed our incoming kindergarten children and families to Hilltop Road Public School. The newest additions to our school spent some time in the kindergarten classrooms preparing for big school. They listened to stories, sung songs, made crafts to take home and met lots of new friends.

While the children were busy in the classrooms, their parents were in the hall attending an information session on different aspects of life at our school. They enjoyed presentations on a typical day in kindergarten, highlights of our school, a uniform fashion parade, and performances by our Junior Choir and Junior Dance Group.

Thank you to all of the families who attended our Orientation Days. We look forward to you joining our school community next year.

Welcome Back Term 4!

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:04:10 AEDT

After two weeks off, staff and students returned to school on Monday, October 9th, ready to make the final term of 2017 the best of the year! With no staff development day this term, we were all straight back to class and working hard to learn all we can.

As well as completing the year's learning and preparing to move up to the next grade soon, we have many fun events outside the classroom to look forward to this term. Next week we will be hosting our annual Book Fair and Book Parade. The Book Fair will be held on Wednesday, October 18th, in the school hall. Each class will have an allocated time to visit the fair and purchase books, and the fair will be open to the community from 3-4pm. Our Book Parade will be on Thursday morning, under the assembly shelter. Make sure you are ready with your costume and your book!

Excitement levels will reach their peak on Friday of Week 4, when Hilltop Road Public School hosts our bi-annual Carnivale. This event sees our playground transformed into a fairground with stalls, games and amazing rides to enjoy. Thank you to everyone who has already donated prizes for this event, and to our P&C for organising. The whole school community is looking forward to a fabulous night at Carnivale!

Watch this space for more information on the happenings at Hilltop Road Public School.

Term 3 Wrapped Up

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:04:07 AEDT

After a whirlwind 10 weeks, Term 3 has come to its conclusion. Time seems to fly faster when you're not only having fun, but working hard and learning all you can, which is exactly what we have been doing at Hilltop Road Public School this term.

Our students have enjoyed a great diversity of learning opportunities this term, including Year 4 Zoosnooze and Year 5 Camp to Canberra, Swimming Scheme and visits with other schools. We have gotten active in a variety of sports carnivals and programs such as sport in Schools and the Kindy tennis program, and our Senior Netball and Junior Football teams won the PSSA championships. Our performance groups also had the opportunity to showcase their talents at the Merrylands High School CAPA showcase and Celebrating the Arts Concert. We also had several PBL presentations throughout the term, showcasing the amazing work our students have created and the deeper learning they have achieved through meaningful projects.

Our teachers have also continued their learning journey, participating in ongoing professional learning including conferences on PBL, hip hop in education, vocabulary development and many other relevant and innovative practices. Likewise, our parents have engaged in workshops as part of our community of learners.

Thank you to all of our students, staff, parents and community members for their ongoing hard work and commitment to making Hilltop Road Public School a place where everyone succeeds in an education worth having. We wish you all the best for the holiday break and look forward to seeing everyone back and ready for Term 4, on Monday October 9th.

Futures Learning Unit

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:03:35 AEDT

On Thursday, September 14th, representatives from the Futures Learning Unit paid a visit to Hilltop Road Public School. Futures Learning is an initiative of the NSW Department of Education, which is focussed on rethinking and resdesigning the way we conduct teaching and learning, with particular attention to learning spaces and technology.

The unit came to Hilltop Road Public school to see future focussed learning in action and were very impressed with what they observed. They saw KR using technology in maths groups to achieve their personal goals, 4SV taking charge of their learning with student engaged asessment and Seesaw, 5L articulating their understandings and questioning each other in a Socratic seminar, and 6C demonstrating their 21st century skills as they worked on their PBL projects. As well as the amazing work they witnessed in these classrooms, the representatives from the Futures Learning Unit were also impressed by the positive energy they felt throughout our school.

Thank you to all of the students and teachers at Hilltop Road Public School who make our school a great example of futre-focussed teaching and learning.

Regional Junior Spelling Bee

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:04:00 AEDT

On Tuesday, September 5th, Hans Villanueva from 3R and Madeleine Phillips from 4SV represented our school at the Regional Junior Spelling Bee at The Meadows Public School. It was a tough competition with many talented spellers from a variety of local schools. Madeleine made it to round 3 and Hans made it to round 6. Congratulations to Hans and Madeleine who made us all proud and did a fabulous job representing our school, and thank you to Miss Shabaz for organising our participation in the Spelling Bee.

Today's Future Sound

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:04:08 AEDT

During Week 5, we were very lucky to have Dr Elliot Gann and his team from Today's future Sound working with us at Hilltop Road Public School. Today's Future Sound is a dedicated team of educators and associates who bring the creative power of hip hop to students and schools around the world. Throughout their week at Hilltop Road, the Today's Future Sound team worked with a variety of students, as well as conducting workshops with our teachers and parents. They taught us about the history and origins of hip hop, the elements of hip hop culture, and how to create and mix beats. The workshops were a great experience for all of the students and community members involved, and we thank the Today's Future Sound team for the knowledge, skills and enthusiasm they brought to our school.

Spelling Bee

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:04:04 AEDT

On Tuesday the 25th and Wednesday the 26th we held the finals of our 2017 Spelling Bee. A list of words was posted to Seesaw for students to learn over the holidays. All students in years 3-6 were invited to participate in the Spelling Bee. Around 90 Stage 2 students and 40 Stage 3 students took part in the competition. After several rounds we narrowed down to our spelling champions. The Stage 3 winners were Jayden Oldfield and Helen MacPherson, and the Stage 2 winners were Hans Villanueva and Madeline Phillips. These students will be going on to the regional Spelling Bee later this term. Congratulations to our winners and all students who participated.

Stan's Visit to 5ZT

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:04:04 AEDT

On Tuesday the 27^th of June, 5ZT were lucky enough to have Stan from Merrylands RSL come to visit them to talk about the Wollemi Pine. The Wollemi Pine was discovered in 1994 in the Wollemi National Park in New South Wales. Fossils have been found of the Wollemi Pine which date to over 200 million years ago!

5ZT loved listening to Stan. We thank him so much for the valuable learning experience. An incredible man! Hilltop Road Public School is proud to accept Stan's Wollemi Pine which he has had since his 70^th birthday. A very generous gift which highlights how special Stan is to our local and school community.

It was fun finding out about the Wollemi Pine.

Emily, 5ZT

It was such an honour to meet Stan and discuss the Wollemi Pine. This was an excellent opportunity.

Bianca, 5ZT

5ZT had a wonderful time. We are so proud to have Stan's Wollemi Pine.

Zac, 5ZT

We want to thank Stan for giving up his time to teach us about something so special.

Joanne, 5ZT

Welcome back for Term 3!

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:04:09 AEDT

After a well-earned two week break, Hilltop Road Public School is back to business. Our teachers commenced the term on Monday, July 17th, with our Staff Development Day. The morning was spent at Greystanes High School where we worked together with our Pemulwuy Learning Community partner schools to develop their understandings and skills in using effective questioning and feedback to enhance learning. In the afternoon we returned to school to work on the set-up of our Makerspace. This included organising the space itself, furniture, tools, equipment, risk assessments and safety procedures so that the space can be ready for our students to get into the Makerspace and get creating as soon as possible.

Our students returned to us on Tuesday, Julty 18th, ready for another busy term. We are looking forward to Education Week in week 3, particularly our Open Day on Thursday, August 3rd. Our parents and community members are invited to come to our parent workshop, open classrooms and Education Week assembly. We also have the Spelling Bee, K-2 Athletics Carnival, Father's Day Fun Afternoon and many other exciting events coming up this term. Watch this space for more!

Service to School Assembly

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:04:03 AEDT

On Thursday, June 8th, we held our Service to School Assembly. The assembly was hosted by classes 2NM and 3E, who did a fabulous job presenting, and entertained us all with their Moana themed item.

We took time during the assembly to congratulate new groups of students who are selflessly volunteering their time and effort in service to school roles.

Our new year 5 Play Leaders were presented with their red hats and badges. The Play Leaders are responsible for sharing out equipment and running games on the playground. They work on the infants playground to help our K-2 students learn new games, make friends and develop positive play habits.

Our new year 2 Book Bees were also presented with their hats. The Book Bees are responsible for the Book Hive, distributing books on the playgrund, reading to or with other students, and keeping the books tidy and well-maintained.

We congratulate these students for being selected as school service leaders, and thank them for giving back to our school.

Year 2 Sounds and Vibrations Incursion

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:04:13 AEDT

On Tuesday, May 17th, Year 2 had an incursion in our school hall. We are learning about sounds and vibrations so our teachers organised an incursion with activities to help us learn more.

We started with some questions and information about vibrations, sounds, pitch, echo and energy. Then the speaker used a spring to make a big sound wave and we had a turn too. After that there were three tables of activities for us to try.

On one table there was a spring with a cup that made light saber sound effects like Star Wars. On the second table there was a clicking thing that made bug sounds. On the third table there was a walkie-talkie with a funnel attached to a hose. We also got to play some musical instruments like the maraccas.

Our favourite parts of the incursion were a disc that kept on spinning and a balloon that you blow up with a know inside to make noise when you shake it. It was a fun incursion and we learnt a lot.

By Maria and Alex - 2S

Mother's Day High Tea

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:03:51 AEDT

On Friday, May 12th, Hilltop Road Public School hosted our first ever Mother's Day High Tea. For a change from our usual Mother's Day Breakfast celebrations, we organised an afternoon tea, complete with savoury snacks, scones and sweet treats, and plenty of tea to wash it down of course. The event was held in the school hall, which was transformed into a beautiful tea room. Tables and chairs were set up and spread with flowers, cups and saucers, and many tiered trays of delicious high tea staples.

We had around 240 mothers, grandmas and aunties in attendance, enjoying all that was on offer. This included not only the high tea, but also a variety of games, races, stalls and performances.

The afternoon was a great success and a wonderful opportuinty to say thank you to so many important women in the Hilltop Road Public School community.

A massive thank you to Miss Catherine and Mrs Whale for their phenomenal effort in organising and coordinating this event, together with their team of mothers who generously gave up their time setting up and preparing for the day, everyone who leant us tea cups and saucers, Mrs Baddour for creating the menus and flower arrangements, Mrs Daniela for providing the throne, frame and backdrop for our photo booth, and the studetns who assisted in serving on the day. Happy Mother's Day to all of our Hilltop Road mums, grandmothers and aunties!

Cross Country 2017

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:03:31 AEDT

On Tuesday, May 2nd, we held our Cross Country Carnival at Ted Burge Oval. This annual event is always a great day out for our students and a chance for everyone to get active and test their endurance. The clear skies provided the perfect backdrop for our runners and it was great to see everybody giving the event their best shot. Our students brought a great energy to the day, which was enhanced by a performance from our HRPS Cheerleading group.

House points were awarded, with McKay prevailing as the highest point-scorers on the day.

Congratulations to the following studetns who were champions in each age group:

Our Cross Country Carnival was a great success. Thank you to Miss Shabaz and the organising committee, and all of the parents and community members who supported us on the day.

Term 2 - Welcome Back

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:04:07 AEDT

After a refreshing Easter break, Hilltop Road Public School got back to work this week. Our teachers were back at school on Monday for Staff Development Day. They spent time planning for new initiatives and preparing to implement strategies such as accountable talk and the Bounce Back program.

On Tuesday, ANZAC Day, several of our Year 6 leaders, students, parents and teachers attended the Dawn Service at Merrylands RSL Club. They marched behind the Hilltop Road Public School banner to pay respect to the ANZACS and all of the brave and selfless men and women who have fought for Australia and our way of life. Our School Captains laid a wreath on behalf of our school. Thank you to all who attended.

It was back to school for all of our staff and students on Wednesday, and we were pleased to see our students returning to school ready to learn all they can. Term 2 is set to be a particularly busy one, with PBL projects in full swing, reports to be written, and parent teacher interviews in Week 9.

On Friday, we held our school ANZAC Ceremony. We were honoured to have four veterans and friends of our school from Merrylands RSL Club in attendance. It was great to see so many floral tributes laid by our students as they paid respect to our fallen soldiers. Our Year 6 leaders did a great job running the ceremony, and we were proud to see the ANZAC Spirit living on at our school. Thank you also to all of the community members who attended this important event.

Watch this space for more news as the term progresses.

Term 1 Wrapped Up

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:04:07 AEDT

While it seems like just yesterday we were all preparing for the new school year, eager to return to Hilltop Road, get into our new classes, reunite with our friends and make some new ones, Term 1 has already come to an end! As always, it has been a very productive term for all of our students, staff and community. Students have settled beautifully into their new classes and we have already seen some amazing work across the Key Learning Areas, with some exciting PBL projects well underway. Outside the classroom, our students have been getting involved with performance groups, PSSA sports teams, art club, debating, and a variety of other experiences to pursue their interests.

Our teachers have continued to engage in a variety of professional learning experiences, demonstrating their continued commitment to providing our students with the best education possible. Likewise, our wider community has continued to flourish with our Harmony Day celebrations, play group, and even a parent excursion.

We wish all of our students, families, staff and community members a safe and happy Easter break. Teachers return to work on Monday, April 24th, for our staff development day. Students will return on Wednesday, April 26th, after the Anzac Day Public Holiday. Looking forward to seeing all of our students then, ready for a jam-packed Term 2!

World's Greatest Shave

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:04:11 AEDT

On Wednesday, March 22nd, several members of our Hilltop Road Public School community participated in the World's Greatest Shave to help find a cure for leukaemia. At our morning assembly, Vicki Tonga, Stasi Tonga, Elizabeth Gates and Mr Scott Hall-Watson said goodbye to their hair in a show of support for those suffering from leukaemia, in an effort to raise vital funds for the Leukaemia Foundation.

Taking inspiration from this bold display, one of our brave and compassionate year 2 students, Mila Boland, later took to the stage to have her own head shaved in support of the Leukaemia Foundation.

We commend these members of our community for their generosity of spirit. If you would like to show your support, you can make donations at the following links:

https://secure.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?Referrer=%26Referrer%3dhttps%253a%252f%252fworldsgreatestshave.com%252f&RegistrationID=666953

https://secure.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?Referrer=%26Referrer%3dhttps%253a%252f%252fworldsgreatestshave.com%252f&RegistrationID=677203#&panel1-1

https://secure.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?Referrer=%26Referrer%3dhttps%253a%252f%252fworldsgreatestshave.com%252f&RegistrationID=677243

Harmony Day

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:03:38 AEDT

On Tuesday, March 21st, we celebrated Harmony Day at Hilltop Road Public School. Harmon Day is celebrated each year throughout Australia in recognition of the cultural diversity that makes our country such an amazing place. The message of Harmony Day is "everyone belongs", a message that we live by every day at Hilltop Road.

To celebrate Harmony Day everyone wore orange or their traditional national dress. We began the day with a whole school Zumba session, run by the ever-energetic Mrs Sleiman. Students, staff and community members all joined in and had a fabulous time dancing together.

To help deliver the message of Harmony Day, the words 'love', 'hope', 'dreams' and 'peace' were displayed around the school. Our students and community members were encouraged to draw or write to share their thoughts and feelings around these words. We also had a giant display of the word 'Harmony' outside our school hall, on which all students and community members were invited to write their name and shoe that we are all together in harmony.

It was another great day for our school community and a perfect opportunity to showcase the diversity and harmony of Hilltop Road Public School.

Student Representative Council Induction

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:04:05 AEDT

On Wednesday, March 8th, we held our 2017 Student Representative Council (SRC) Induction Assembly. This special event sees our School Captains, Class Captains and Sporting House Captains receive their badges and make their pledge to serve the school and represent our student body and school values.

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected as school leaders by their peers:

School Captains - Abby Lavery and Jadhu Suresh

Vice Captains - Selina Ada and Danny Koroma

Prefects - Vanessa Cardis-Fuller, Farhad Ahmadi, Rochelle Jones, Oliver Milford, Chelsea Keast, James Moorehead, Erikah Fong and Tahsin Silinder

Class Captains -

1A - Maria Bayani and Matthew Perin

1BC - Deanna Sahak and Hossam Rabie

1M - Mikayla Cardis-Hillier and Josh Iupeli

1S - Chelsea Harland and Jayden Rafidi

1/2R - Ruby Sutton and Harry Koroma

2H - Sidra Eldidi and Rizvi Kafoa

2NM - Mursal Sediqi and Ekin Kazan

2S - Mia Neeson and Alex Da Cunha Alves

2W - Jessica Anjoul and Mikiare Hall

3E - Liyana Dib and Elias Hakimi

3HW - Ghezal Aksaryar and Caylen Castillon

3K - Rumaysa Alameddine and Jack Younan

3R - Rhymas Elwan and Lucas Etamadi

4B - Lisa Boumina and Alex Kehoe

4N - Kate Bailey and Alex Azimy

4R - Manaaki Te Whare and Simon Koroma

4SV - Assya Ghenim and Robbie Lavery

4/5K - Elina Touma and Wilstar Isaaka

5L - Mona Ghazzaoui and Paul Thusberg

5R - Jamie-Lia Bou-Francis and Bilal Niazie

5ZT - Helen Macpherson and Alen Kacanic

6C - Deja Te Whare and Cyrus Villanueva

6I - Chloe Bowers and Kevin Hartano

6R - Fionah Koloamatangi and Matthew Thich

House Captains -

Bradman - Layla Karajcic and Cyrus Villanueva

Jackson - Alicia Thorpe and Ali Ghaddar

McKay - Chloe Bowers and Ephraim Magalogo

Newcombe - Esma Sen and Jonny Lewis

House Vice Captains -

Bradman - Tiffany Marinc and Zac Edwards

Jackson - Emily Pesa and Adem Elwan

McKay - Dilara Elveren and Jason Dalton

Newcombe - Isabelle Phillips and Alen Kacanic

Thank you to Miss Close, Miss Rowley and Mrs Bartlett for coordinating our SRC, and to all of the parents and community members who attended this event.

Year 6 Welcomes Kindy

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:04:17 AEDT

On Thursday, March 2nd, Hilltop Road Public School hosted our Year 6 Welcomes Kindy afternoon tea. This event was held in the hall and gave our new families the chance to meet and greet with existing members of our community. Thank you to all of the families who attended, and to the teachers, Ms Catherine and Mrs Whale for organising this event.

Meet the Teacher Nights

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:03:49 AEDT

Throughout this week, we hosted our annual Meet the Teacher evenings. This provides a valuable opportunity for parents to meet their child's new teacher and find out important information about the year ahead, and for our teachers to get to know important information about their students and their families.

Meet the Teacher nights were hosted for Year 1 and 2 on Monday, Kindergarten and Year 4 on Tuesday, Year 3 and 5 on Wednesday, and Year 6 on Thursday. thank you to our teachers for taking the extra time out for the meetings, and to all of the families who made the time to come along.

PBL Professional Learning

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:03:56 AEDT

This week Hilltop Road Public School hosted several days of Professional Learning around Project Based Learning (PBL). This teaching approach, which we have been employing for the past few years, promotes engagement, collaboration, real-world connections and all the important 21st century skills we aim to develop in our students. The PL sessions were hosted by David and Clare Price, international experts in PBL who have been partners with our school on our PBL journey. The sessions provided opportunities for teachers from Hilltop Road and some other schools to develop their skills in facilitating Project Based Learning.

As hosts, we were also able to showcase some of the amazing work our students have undertaken in past projects at Hilltop Road. Students who participated in projects such as the Year 5 2016 recycled furniture, and Year 1 2016 living museum, were asked to speak to the participants of various PL sessions. All of the teachers participating were very impressed with the projects and the students who presented them.

Kindy meets Howie

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:03:43 AEDT

Our kindergarten students have been settling into our school beautifully and growing more and more comfortable within our Hilltop Road Public School community. No introduction to our school would be complete without a meeting with Howie, our beloved school mascot. All of our kindergratern students this week had the opportunity to meet and have their photo taken with Howie in the Secret Garden. He was very excited to be introduced to the newest additions to our school community, and said they were all a pleasure to meet!

Welcome to Hilltop Road, 2017!

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:04:10 AEDT

After a refreshing summer break, we are very excited to welcome our students, families, staff and community members back to Hilltop Road Public School for 2017!

The school year began for our teachers on Friday, January 27th, with our first staff development day for the year. Our teachers did some work around accountable talk and high potential learners, as always working hard to ensure we are well prepared and equipped to provide our students with the best education we can.

Our students in year 1-6 returned to us on Monday the 30th of January, while Best Start assessments for our incoming kindergarten students began. These continued through Tuesday and Wednesday, with our Kindy team working tirelessly to ensure we really do provide our students with their best start at school. The first official day of school for our 2017 kindergarten students was Thursday, February 2nd. All of the teachers and staff present were impressed with how settled and ready for school our new kindergarteners are. We welcome them and their families into our Hilltop Road Public School Community and look forward to sharing many successes and happy memories over the next seven years.

Students in year 1-6 initially returned to holding classes with their 2016 teacher, settling back into the school year amongst familiar faces while we sorted out our numbers and the organisation of new classes. The calculations are complete and we were able to form our classes on Friday afternoon. The new classes for 2017 are as follows:

KA	Amanda Lawrence	3R	Jane Rowley
KR	Ronya Baddour	3E	Emily Boustani
KG	Kasandra Goulding	3K	Gonul Kamas
KH	Emerald Han	3HW	Scott Hall-Watson
KP	Louise Price	4R	Cheryl Romer
1M	Eleni Marketos	4B	Manju Bansal
1S	Ilge Sirin	4N	Norin Shabaz
1A	Jennifer Attard	4SV	Joanne Sikorski M-W Emma Veitch Th-F
1BC	Emma Bartlett M-W Nancy Castillon Th-F	4/5K	Brett Kent
1/2R	Sandra Racanelli	5L	Kate Lavery
2H	Nicole Harris	5R	Donna Ryabovitch
2NM	Mary Nurkic M-W Tara Mirabito Th-F	5ZT	Ivana Zekanovic M-W Tamara Turrini Th-F
2S	Rita Sleiman	6C	Ruth Close
2W	Evan Williamson	6I	Namita Issar
		6R	Caitlin Crabbe

We are all looking forward to another productive school year and to seeing our students reach for, and beyond, their potential.