Copacabana Public School

A message from Penny Hooper – Relieving Principal

March 2024 - Penny Hooper Principal

At Copacabana PS
we’ve begun an exciting
and memorable 2024

Late in 2023 we inducted our new leaders into their positions as Captains; prefects; Sport Captains and Library/Tech at our annual Presentation Day ceremony. There was much excitement and we foresee many leadership opportunities ahead for these students. We are thankful for our ongoing support from Kincumber High school students, who presented school blazers to our new Captains, Rhys Doutty and Stella King.

There is a big year ahead for Copacabana Public School students and staff, with a new curriculum for Years 3-6; STEM lessons; sport; special assemblies; creative arts events and all the activities that make up the school calendar. We look forward to welcoming parents and friends at various times over the course of

the year.

We have welcomed thirty-eight smiling new faces to our new Kindergarten cohort for 2024. Of course there will be great adventures ahead for these students and we look forward to helping nurture their aspirations for the years ahead. Just think, many of these students will graduate Year 12 in 2037 after thirteen years of schooling.

Copacabana Public School turns 40

Copacabana Public School was officially opened in 1983. Earlier this term our school celebrated this milestone event with a 40th Birthday photo K-6; 80s themed Mufti Day; Past Staff and Present Students Assembly and a Commemorative Newsletter.

Thank you to Mr Rod Watson, Mrs Gai McMurtie and Mrs Sue Lewis for attending our assembly, alongside previous staff members and students. We thank you for helping to make this event so special for our students and community.

Copacabana Public School History

Early in the 1920s there were only five children living at Copacabana. The Chapmans - Dodo and her brother Ted - were the only ones attending school, riding all the way to Kincumber School on their pony. This happened for many years, with children from Copacabana attending school at either Avoca or Kincumber Public School. Avoca school eventually became overcrowded, and the site did not allow for expansion. By then most Copacabana children were attending Kincumber Public. As the population of Copa and Kincumber was continuing to increase, it was obvious the Department of Education needed to open a new school.

At a well-attended meeting in 1982 at the Copacabana Surf Club, Mr. Fairbairn (Inspector of Schools, Woy Woy) and Mr. Ken Ison (Principal, Kincumber) outlined the arrangements for the new school. They announced that a fully demountable Departmental School would be operating in 1983 at Copacabana on public land - where the tennis courts are now standing. This school would be used for approximately five years until a permanent school was constructed on the Departmental land adjacent to the school. Copacabana PS opened in 1983 with 170 students, with Mr Bruce Barnier as Principal.

The P&C worked extremely hard holding functions to raise money for school equipment. With financial support from Kincumber School and full co-operation from the Copacabana Fire Brigade and Surf Club, the whole population of Copacabana was assisting the newly established school. The school Fetes, Musicals, Bands, Open Days, Family Fun days and Presentation assemblies have all remained fixtures at the school for the past 40 years.

Plans were drawn up for the new school on flat land and after a few minor alterations, work commenced on the permanent school in April, 1986. The new school was occupied on Monday, 17 August, 1987 with two x 4 classroom blocks, a practical activity area, a Library, Admin block, Hall and Canteen. In 1988 the enrolment was 260. Today as we celebrate 40 years, we have 11 classrooms and 278 students.

Source: Gosford Council, A History of Central Coast Schools

I would like to extend a heartful thank you to our community and take the time to wish everyone a safe and Merry Christmas.

Penny Hooper

Bring on the sunshine in SPRING!! A wonderful and amazing start to the new semester from students, staff, and the community. We have had a busy and exciting start, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Education Week

Copacabana PS celebrated 175 years of NSW public education in Week 3. Commencing with our NAIDOC celebrations, our students connected with our First Nations culture participating in Aboriginal games, dot painting and cultural dance to honor the theme ‘For our Elders’ and ‘Learning from the Past’. Our showcase assembly for OPEN DAY was spectacular, alongside our open-air art gallery and family picnic to celebrate our achievements. A wonderful community spirit!

Creative Arts

Many of our Creative Arts groups performed last term. Congratulations to our Star Struck performers and their success at the ‘Ignite’ concert at Newcastle Entertainment Centre with ‘Chillin Like a Villain’ and ‘Walk like an Egyptian’. Our Central Coast Dancers performed at Laycock St theatre in the Tjudibaring AECG dance ‘Dyarra Murrama’ (Sun Setting Red) and ‘Hey Mickey’. All students performed with such energy and pizzazz.

Athletics Carnival

Link to our video of the day by Mrs Robertson as seen on FB: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=81724007658085

July 2023 - Penny Hooper – Relieving Principal

Wow, what a school and community! This is the constant thought that goes through my mind everyday coming to work at Copacabana Public School. We are full swing into the 2023 school year, with plenty going on to support teaching, learning and wellbeing at our school. A huge thanks to the wonderful staff for providing so many amazing and varied experiences for our students, whether it be school based or at a higher level.

The classrooms have an abundance of positive vibes and are a hive of activities. Whilst visiting the classrooms and seeing the fantastic teaching and learning happening around the school, students have been so proud to showcase their work to me and explain their learning journey.

Sporting Opportunities

We have had many students representing Copacabana PS at sporting events, Gala Days and Dance Workshops over the past term. It was a highlight to attend our swimming carnival at the beginning of the year. Getting to meet parents/carers and enjoying the community atmosphere was fantastic.

Our school cross country carnival and the SCCPSSA Cross Country Championships demonstrated the tenacity and resilience our students have at Copa PS. They are always displaying an encouraging and supportive team spirit and commendable sportsmanship.

We would like to thank all the staff who spend an enormous amount of time organising these extra-curricular activities to provide students with invaluable opportunities they will remember for life. Examples include Sydney North Trials Netball, Sydney North Trials Rugby, as well as our own SCCPSSA football trials and Gala Days such as the AFL Paul Kelly Cup, Rugby League, Touch Football and Basketball days.

Many students have made Sydney North Teams this year, representing Copacabana PS: Koh E (Rugby Union) and Henrietta B (Australian Rules Football)

We would like to congratulate Beau H for his selection in 5 Sydney North Teams, such an achievement!! - Australian Rules Football, Basketball, Touch Football, Rugby League and Rugby Union.

Anzac Ceremony

Last term our school proudly held our ANZAC service to commemorate the significant sacrifice our service men and women have made for the country. We reflected as a school on the past but also on those men and women currently serving Australia. Our leaders also respectfully led the Copacabana Community Dawn Service as MCs. The haunting images as the sun rose over the horizon at the beach, with the community paying their respects was a sight to behold. Thank you to our leaders and Mrs Woodham for humbly participating in these events. Lest We Forget.

AECG Community

As part of the Department of Education’s focus on Aboriginal Education, the improvement of outcomes and understanding of culture, staff participated in a ‘Connection to Water Across Local Country’ with Uncle Gavi Duncan. We held our Term 2 staff development day engaging in inquiry activities on the rock platform at Copa with a focus on authentic cultural perspectives at Daley’s Point walking track

We are also thrilled to participate in the AECG dance project, whereby our students have workshopped creating, connecting and dancing with other schools for several choreographed pieces to perform at end of year events.

40th Birthday Celebrations –
survey for community

We are turning 40!!!!! We are hoping to have some celebrations for students, staff, and community in Term 4. To assist with our planning, we are asking current and past community members to complete a short survey in preparation for events. Positive short stories from parents/students/staff both past and present are welcomed by completing this survey link:
https://forms.gle/BPL1zvgqDw1uH4H49

March 2023 - Penny Hooper – Relieving Principal

Welcome to 2023

It is a great pleasure to introduce myself as the Relieving Principal at Copacabana Public School. Wow what a

welcome I have had! I have taught and lead at many Central Coast public schools, most recently as Deputy

Principal at Bateau Bay Public School. Having worked alongside many staff and executives across several local

and regional schools, I know the wonderful name our school has in the educational community. Students at our

school achieve well and are provided with a significant number of opportunities to reach their full potential, thanks to all our dedicated staff.

I look forward to working with students, staff and parents to continue the strong collaborative vision for

Copacabana Public School and making improvements aligned with the 2021-2025 School Plan’s strategic

directions of student growth; instructional leadership and wellbeing.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mary Hunt for her inspiring support in my transition to Copacabana Public School and wish her well in her new PEO role.

After meeting many wonderful parents at the morning and afternoon gates and greeting their children in the playground, I can see the authentic relationships everyone has with this school. To say I was blown away is an understatement. I truly believe the impact that public schools have on the children’s social, emotional and educational development is essential. I place a strong emphasis on the connections between school and home and am dedicated to developing strong relationships to ensure all students are known, valued and cared for.

I look forward to meeting parents and carers over the year so together we can continue the amazing achievements that Copacabana Public School has established already.

Leadership

Our captains and prefects will be attending the “National Young Leaders Day” in Sydney in March to support their leadership of our school. Speakers to inspire our young leaders of the future will include: His Excellency, The Honourable General David Hurley; Dr Jordan Nguyen; Caitlin Bassett; Nazeem Hussain and Chris Green.

Classes 2023

We have successfully formed 11 classes and students have settled very quickly into class routines. Thank you to all the staff who have worked tirelessly to ensure all student needs are being met socially and emotionally so they will thrive in 2023. On Friday 3 February we welcomed 39 Kindergarten students into Copacabana PS who are keen and eager to commence their primary schooling. It’s quite astonishing to consider students commencing Kindergarten this year will complete Year
12 in 2036!

December 2022 - Mary Hunt Principal

Stage 3 Camp

We welcomed some very tired but happy Stage 3 students and teachers back to school on Friday, 28th October at 7:30pm. Congratulations to our students for their outstanding behaviour whilst on the excursion. Students enjoyed visiting the Australian National Museum, the Electoral Education Centre, Questacon, Parliament House, the War Memorial and the Dinosaur Museum, just to name a few places!

Thanks very much to Mrs Woodham for her organisation and to Mrs Wilson, Mrs Sutton, Mr Bragg, Mr Smyth, and Miss Blair for their help whilst on the excursion.

Head Start – Welcome Kindergarten 2023

At Copacabana Public School, we are currently running our Head Start – Kindergarten Transition program. We are excited to be meeting our new 2023 Kindergarten students and their families to our wonderful school. Over the past few weeks, the children have participated in a range of educational activities. Our school leaders have done a great job proudly showing our new 2023 Kindergarten families to the Kindergarten rooms. Thank you to our amazing P&C for purchasing the special ‘Head Start’ t-shirts for our new Kindergarten students.

2022 NSW Premier’s Spelling Bee

Congratulations to Sam who represented our school at the NSW Premier’s Spelling Bee Final. The students, teachers and community at Copacabana Public School are very proud of
Sam’s achievements.

Intensive Swimming School

Congratulations to our super swimmers at Swim School over the past two weeks. The NSW Department of Education School Swimming and Water Safety program is for all students from non-swimmers all the way to squad swimmers. For non-swimmers, the program develops water confidence and provides students with basic skills in water safety and survival. For strong swimmers, the program develops confidence in deeper water and works on technique correction and confidence in a variety of strokes. Thank you to Mr Mensforth for his organisation of Swim School and to Mrs Sutton, Ms Butler and Mrs Gilmore for supporting our students through the program. We also thank our wonderful P&C who have subsidised the cost of this very valuable program.

Athletics Carnival

The Copacabana Public School Annual Athletics Carnival was held on Tuesday, 26th July. It was fantastic to have the school community come together to see our students eagerly participating in events and striving to achieve their personal best. Congratulations to our Sports House Captains who put on a riveting performance while proudly leading their House chants. Thank you to everyone who assisted on the day and a special thank you to Mr Mensforth and Mrs Wilson for their wonderful organisation of the carnival. I would also like to thank and acknowledge the Kincumber High School students who helped on the day. Copacabana PS spirit was alive and well!

Education Week 2022
‘Celebrating Futures

Education Changes Lives’

Education Week 2022 – ‘Celebrating Futures – Education Changes Lives’ has been celebrated to the fullest at our wonderful school last week. A massive thank you to everyone who visited the school, whether it was at the Spelling Bee, our Open Day celebrations or at the end of the week for the Athletics Carnival Ribbons assembly. It was lovely to see families connect with each other at the picnic lunch and outdoor games afternoon.

Our outdoor Education Week assembly showcased the performing arts. Congratulations to our Star Struck dancers, Copa dancers and the Copacabana Public School Choir for your fabulous performances. What a talented group of performers we have here at Copacabana PS. I thank our dedicated teachers for preparing our students to do their absolute best.

Education week was a fabulous celebration of our school, and we were thrilled to be able to share it with you.

Central Coast Public Education
Awards of Appreciation

Each year, all schools on the Central Coast are asked to nominate two members of their school community whom they would like to recognise for the contributions they make in helping their school be a better place. On behalf of the Copacabana Public School community, we would like to congratulate Kellie Pink (Relieving School Administrative Manager) and Lucy Wenzke (Copacabana P&C President) for their tireless work and dedication to our school.

Enrol now for Kindergarten 2023

If you have a child who will be starting Kindergarten in 2023, now is the perfect time to complete your enrolment. Please contact the school via email at Copacabana-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au or phone 4382 1766 for further information.

We look forward to welcoming new students and parents to our school.

School Cross Country

On Friday 29th April, Copacabana Public School held the annual Cross Country Carnival. Congratulations to all our students for your outstanding participation and behaviour. From our students who were gracious in victory and those who lost a shoe but kept running we are so very proud of your achievements! As a school, it was wonderful to see great sportsmanship, resilience and school spirit! A very big thank you to all the staff and especially to Mrs Robins and Mr Bragg for their organisation of the carnival.

Our Cross-Country team represented Copacabana Public School at the PSSA Zone Cross Country on May 20.

Moran Photography

On Monday 2nd May, Year 6 students participated in the Moran Photography Workshop learning about how to capture images using a variety of photographic techniques. The students explored birds’ eye view, ants’ eye view, rule of thirds, using lines to draw a focus and using different filters to create a more dramatic effect. All students were actively involved and enjoyed capturing images around the school and sharing their best work with each other. The students were then encouraged to pick their best five photos and were able to print them off and share with their families. The students are looking forward to having their favourite image displayed at the Five Lands Walk event later in June. Many students commented on how much they enjoyed the day and how they felt proud of their work and loved exploring a digital art form using the cameras.

Aboriginal Education Dance Group

On Monday 9th May, our Aboriginal students from Years 3-6 participated in the Tjudibaring local A.E.C.G. Dance Project which was held at Avoca Beach Public School. The students were given the opportunity to work with cultural leaders and choreographers to

learn about traditional and contemporary Aboriginal Dance. They also listened to stories, participated in a group Art Project and had a walk through the Aboriginal garden to learn about the healing benefits of some of the plants. Our students had a fantastic day and enjoyed the opportunity to connect with students from the other participating schools. The children were asked to describe in one word how they felt about themselves after their day and here were some of their responses: Proud, Amazing, Awesome, Accomplished, Fantastic.

Netball School Cup

On Thursday 5th May, Mrs Johnson and Mrs Wilson took a Stage 3 and Stage 2 team to participate in the Netball NSW School Cup gala day at Adcock Park at West Gosford. All students played up to 6 games against other schools and all displayed outstanding sportsmanship. It was also great to see consistent improvements in the players’ netball skills throughout the day. We would also like to thank Briana Smith from Kincumber High School who assisted us with umpiring on the day and our amazing parents who assisted with transporting students to and from the venue and for always being a positive support on the side lines. Mrs Johnson and Mrs Wilson were extremely proud of our students as their behaviour was exceptional. Overall, a fun day was had by all!

Mother’s Day Spectacular Afternoon

Thank you to our wonderful Mothers, Grandmothers, Nannas and special people in our children’s lives who attended the Mother’s Day Spectacular afternoon tea held on Friday, 6th May. It was so nice to see so many parents enjoying time with their children. As a school community, I thank you again for your ongoing support of our great school. Huge thanks go out to Mrs Sutton, Mrs McCarthy and the staff for their help at our Mother’s Day Spectacular and for making this magical afternoon happen.

Welcome Kindergarten - 2022

A very big welcome to all our new Kindergarten students and families, who started their educational journey at Copacabana Public School. Kindergarten kids are enjoying their new school routines and having lots of fun in the playground socialising with their new friends. Thank you to Mrs Lucas and Mrs Walters for all your hard work in the lead-up to this very special event and for keeping a caring, nurturing, and watchful eye over our shooting stars to ensure they all left with a smile and eager to start the next school day.

Science and STEM

Copacabana Public School students are learning about the “Living World” in Science and STEM lessons. Kindergarten enjoyed exploring our school and observed many living and non-living things. In the next few weeks, Kindergarten will be discussing in STEM and Science lessons what living things need to survive. Kindergarten also experienced the computer room and are working hard to log on by themselves as well as working towards good mouse control and getting familiar with the keyboard.

Stage 1 we learnt about how some living things may seem the same but can be very different. We read the story The Ugly Duckling and gained a better understanding of the differences between ducks and swans. Stage 2 had some great discussions in lessons about what living things need to allow them to survive and which living things could survive if tasked with inhabiting another planet. There were lots of discussions and interesting points raised by different students on what the ultimate five needs could be. Stage 3 have been looking at extreme environments and the living things that can survive in these harsh places.

Swimming Carnival

Congratulations to all the students who participated in our annual swimming carnival held at the Woy Woy Peninsula Swim Centre. It was wonderful to see the high levels of sporting spirit evident. The students really participated enthusiastically, supporting their team-mates throughout the day.

Congratulations to all the children who won their individual races or achieved a personal best. A heartful thank you to Mr Andrew Smyth and Mrs Annette Sutton for their excellent organisational skills and to all the staff for their assistance on the day.

Sports in Schools Program

The children at Copacabana Public School are enjoying weekly tennis lessons as a part of the Sports in Schools Program. The children are learning the fundamental skills of tennis, footwork, groundstrokes, volleying, and teamwork. Thank you to Mr Mark Presdee for teaching tennis to our students.

Return to Face-to-Face Learning

All the teachers at Copacabana Public School would like to take the opportunity to congratulate our students on their successful return to school. It has been wonderful to see happy students interacting with their friends and their teachers in the playground and in classrooms. The school is once again a hive of activity. We have already welcomed our Kindergarten 2022 students to Head Start for their first face-to face Kindergarten Orientation morning session. How exciting!

World Teachers’ Day

World Teachers’ Day was celebrated on Friday 29th October. Teachers (with the wonderful support of our parents and carers) have ensured education continued across the country this year, despite major challenges due to COVID-19 lockdowns. In many ways it has reinforced the significant role teachers play in the lives of our children and students, our families and communities. On behalf of the Copacabana Public School community, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to the Copacabana PS teachers and the amazing work they do each day. And thanks also to our wonderful Copacabana Public School P&C for your kind words of appreciation and beautiful cards to the staff.

Every year on the 11th November at 11am we observe a minute’s silence to remember the service and sacrifice of our veterans. Thank you, Mr Reid and the school leaders for your organisation of the school’s Remembrance Day service.

Remembrance Day

STEM News

Stage 3 classes have enjoyed participating in STEM challenges with Mrs Mumford over the past few weeks. During STEM lessons, Stage 3 enjoyed making gratitude towers. Firstly, the students talked about the meaning of gratitude and shared their ideas. The students wrote down their thoughts on cards. Working collaboratively in small groups the students had to create the tallest free-standing gratitude tower using only 50 cards and 50cm of mask tape.

This challenge was then extended to creating a ‘gratitude skyscraper”. The students had to think about weight distribution to ensure that their skyscraper did not topple over! The challenge involved building a freestanding tower using 20 pieces of uncooked spaghetti, 50cm of masking tape, 50cm of string and one large marshmallow that had to be on the top of the tower. The students enjoyed the challenge and were able to reflect and effectively evaluate their creative skills in building construction.

Merry Christmas to all

I would like to take this opportunity to wish our entire school community - teachers, staff, students and families – a very happy Christmas and a well-deserved holiday season.

Learning from Home

Over the past weeks I have seen incredible displays of compassion, empathy and resilience from all corners of our community. It was lovely to touch base briefly with parents during the collection of Learning Packs over the past weeks. I was able to hear some great stories of learning and I thank you for your kind words of appreciation as we all go through these interesting times together.

I am very appreciative of our supportive school community as we continue to learn from home. Teachers are seeing examples of amazing work being completed in many creative and innovative formats, uploaded on SeeSaw and through Google Classroom. I truly value the enormous efforts from everyone as we continue to embrace learning from home.

Education Week

Copacabana Public School celebrated Education Week virtually 26-30 July 2021. Thank you to our amazing teachers for your Facebook presentations showcasing life-long learning skills and to Mrs Mumford for creating the Education Week slideshow presentation.

Throughout the term, I have enjoyed seeing the talented work of our students online. We are very proud of what we have achieved this year and celebrate the wonderful contribution of our teachers and parents in creating resilient, lifelong student learners.

Crazy Hair and Hat Day

On Friday, 13th August Copacabana students and staff participated in a Crazy Hair and Hat Day. A sea of creativity was evident from both school and home. It was great to see students participating in a fun filled day.

Thank you to everyone for your amazing creations, talents and fun filled spirit.

Stay safe and keep learning.

June 2021 - Mary Hunt Principal

We have welcomed students back for another great term of learning at Copacabana Public School. Term two is shaping up as another exciting term with quality teaching and learning occurring both inside and outside the classroom. We have many students representing our wonderful school and involved in the Central Coast Dance Festival, Star Struck, Central Coast Choral Festival rehearsals, debating challenges and
several sporting events. It was wonderful to see our Copacabana mums at our Mothers’ Day Spectacular.

STEM Group News

We have had a fun and busy first few weeks of Term 2 STEM. The highlights have been:

Creating vehicles to help Little Red Riding Hood get to grandmother’s house faster with Stage 1 and Early Stage 1.
Coding using Dashbots and Beebots and improving typing skills.
Completing a teamwork paper chain challenge. The winning paper chain by Lyla and Josie measured a whopping 7 metres!
Learning the art of drawing 3D objects with Splat 3D tools.
Using the Virtual Reality Googles and kit which we have on loan from the Department ofEducation (STEM T4L) to investigate different minds and visit different places.

In the next few weeks, we will be creating camouflage environments, doing more coding with our robotics and creating some unsinkable foil boats.

Kindergarten Enrolments 2022

We are now taking Enrolments for all students who are eligible to start school in 2022 in our Kindergarten classes. Children may be enrolled in Kindergarten at the beginning of the school year if they turn five years of age on or before 31st July in that year. By law, all children must be enrolled in school by their sixth birthday. Online enrolment is now available.

We offer support and encourage you to complete your application to enrol online. The online enrolment can be accessed on our school website at:
https://copacabana-p. schools.nsw.gov.au/. Or contact the school on 4382 1766.

March 2021 - Mary Hunt Principal

This year Copacabana Public School has started an exciting new STEM program for all students in Years K-6. STEM is an approach to learning and development that integrates the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Through STEM students develop key skills including: problem solving, creativity, critical analysis, teamwork, independent thinking, initiative, communication and digital literacy. STEM empowers students with the skills to succeed and adapt to this changing world. Mrs Mumford and Mrs Johnson are teaching and leading the school’s STEM program this year.

During the first week of STEM groups, students put their engineering and science knowledge to the test, planning and completing tower and bridge builds. Students in Stage One (Years 1 and 2) are looking at the picture book Iggy Peck Architect by Andrea Beaty.

Students in Stage two (Years 3 and 4) and Stage three (Years 5 and 6) worked in groups to create cup and craft stick towers. The students worked in teams to design their towers. It was a lot of fun designing, thinking and evaluating each tower.

Sports in Schools Program

The children at Copacabana Public School are enjoying weekly tennis lessons as a part of the Sports in Schools Program. The children are learning the fundamental skills of tennis, footwork, groundstrokes, volley and teamwork. Thank you, to Mr Mark Presdee for teaching tennis to our students.

Basketball

Congratulations to Axl, Will and Josie who represented Copacabana Public School at the PSSA Zone Basketball trials. Each student gave their best efforts and displayed a positive attitude throughout the trials. Congratulations, to Will and Josie who were selected in the combined Southern Central Coast PSSA/ Brisbane Water PSSA zone team for basketball. They will now trial for the Sydney North PSSA team on 2nd March.

Welcome Kindergarten 2021

A very big welcome to all our new Kindergarten students and families, who started at Copacabana on Wednesday. Thank you to Mrs Bryson and Mrs Walters for all your hard work in the lead up to this very special event and for keeping a caring, nurturing and watchful eye over our shooting stars to ensure they all left with a smile and eager to start the next school day.

December 2020 – Mary Hunt, Principal

Remembrance Day

Every year on the 11th November at 11am we observe a minute’s silence in memory of all wars and armed conflicts and the people who have suffered or died. This year, students have learned more about the significance of this time in their classes. The School Captains, Zoe and Archie addressed the assembly. Thank you, to our school prefects and library/tech monitors who assisted on the day. Thank you, to Mr Reid for your organisation. Lest We Forget.

NAIDOC Week

Copacabana Public School celebrated NAIDOC week through a variety of classroom and whole school activities.

NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) acknowledges and celebrates the fact that Australia’s Aboriginal people were spiritually connected to this land and occupied and cared for this land for over 65,000 years.

This year’s theme is ‘Always Was, Always Will Be’. Our students learnt about the origins of various Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander games and participated in various sports rotations.

In the afternoon, our Aboriginal students participated in an art workshop learning about the importance of connecting with the local environment and the significance of symbols in Aboriginal artworks.

1ML watched Archie Roach in a Virtual NAIDOC week celebration.

Kindergarten/Year 1 Athletics Carnival

Kindergarten and Year 1 students participated in a modified athletics carnival at school. The purpose of the carnival was to teach students the skills and techniques required to compete in the athletics carnival in coming years.

The students had a great day and the teachers were so impressed by their effort and sportsmanship.

True Copa spirit was shown as the children were cheering their friends on in the running races and helping each other during the activities.

Thank you to Mrs Bryson for all of her hard work organising the carnival and the dedication shown to provide the amazing opportunity for the K/1 students to shine.

Leagues Club Park

On Friday 30th October, our school captains Archie and Zoe joined Adam Crouch MP – Member for Terrigal and school leaders from Chertsey and Woodport schools to plant a tree at the new Leagues Club Field in Gosford.

We enjoyed a tour of the precinct and learnt that a key feature of the park will be a water-play area that connects to Brisbane Water and will rise and fall with the tide to expose beautiful sandstone animal islands.

We are looking forward to it opening.

Stage 3 Debating Team.

September 2020 – Mary Hunt, Principal

School Athletics Carnival – Tuesday 11 August

Every student tried their best and displayed wonderful sportsmanship. There were many great results and many close and exciting races. Well done to Summer who broke two records on the day – 12/13 Years Discus and Shot Put, an amazing result. Many thanks to all the teachers and admin staff for their help in the lead up to the day and on the day. Mrs Peta Mumford and Mrs Danielle Bryson, Athletics Carnival Convenors.

Congratulations to our Stage 3 Debating Team!

Copacabana PS debating team participated in a debate via Zoom call against Umina Beach Public School. The team were given the topic: “That all tests should be banned in primary schools”.

The team had 1 hour to prepare their arguments as an affirmative team. Despite, some technical difficulties our school’s debating team presented many convincing arguments. The adjudicator ruled in our favour, giving us victory. Well done, Matilda, Pippa, Summer and Liam.

Central Coast Public Education Awards 2020

Each year, the NSW Department of Education acknowledges the outstanding contributions made by individuals to public schools across the Central Coast.

This year, I would like to congratulate Mr Michael Griffiths, Mrs Kirsten Walters, Mrs Linda Hartwell and Mr Mark Gunning on being nominated by the Copacabana PS staff to be the recipients of these awards.

Michael Griffiths has been a fantastic president of our P&C for several years and has been supportive of many projects within the school.

Kirsten Walter has been an outstanding manager of the school canteen, Seaside Snacks, providing healthy food choices for the children’s lunches.

Linda Hartwell for her outstanding organisation of the uniform shop.

Mark Gunning, our school cleaner, who does an amazing job keeping our school beautifully cleaned and always goes beyond the call of duty.

June 2020

A message from Mary Hunt – Principal

Copa PS staff and the school community have been extremely busy adapting to the remote learning phase of the Covid 19 pandemic. Our terrific team has harnessed their creativity and resourcefulness to address many challenges over the past few months. During this time, computer technology has played a huge role in enabling our students to continue their education.

Copacabana Public School would like to sincerely thank the Copacabana Community Association, who have made a donation of $600 on behalf of CCA members to assist with the purchase of new learning equipment. We are so lucky to have such a supportive and generous community group.

The funds will be put towards the purchase of a new laptop for the students to use during periods of remote learning. When school returns to ‘normal’, it will continue to be used as a learning tool in the classroom. Thanks also to our staff, parents and students for their resilience and support over the past weeks.

February 2020

Swimming Carnival

Congratulations to all students who attended the Copacabana PS Swimming Carnival on Friday at Woy Woy Peninsula Leisure Centre.

The level of participation was fantastic to see, as was the enormous talent displayed by our students. The day saw three records broken!

A big thank you to our amazing parent volunteers, who gave up their time to be our lifeguards and assist in ensuring the safety of all swimmers.

The carnival would not have been possible without you! Also, thank you to carnival convenor, Mr Smyth, for all of his hard work behind the scenes getting the day organised.

Lastly, thank you to the students, you made it such a great, fun day!

Kindergarten 2020

Welcome to all of our new Kindergarten students and their families. Thank you, to Mrs Bryson, Mrs Walters, Mrs Wilson and Mrs Price for all your hard work in the lead up to this very special event and for keeping a caring, nurturing and watchful eye over our shooting stars to ensure they all left with a smile and eager to start the next school day.

Mary Hunt – Principal

New Principal at Copacabana Public School

It is with a great sense of honour that I introduce myself as the new Principal of Copacabana Public School. I am delighted and humbled to be offered the opportunity to lead this wonderful school community. Since arriving on November 11, I have enjoyed visiting classrooms, greeting the children in the morning and getting to know them and the staff and parents of our amazing school. I wish to thank everyone for making me feel so welcome.

I have been a passionate educator for over 25 years having worked in rural and remote communities (Walgett, Broken Hill and Mildura areas) as an Assistant Principal and Teaching Principal. After spending 15 years living and teaching in remote and rural NSW schools, my husband Gavin and I moved to the beautiful Central Coast with our two sons. When we arrived to the Central Coast I was the Deputy Principal at Umina Beach Public School which is one of the largest primary schools on the coast.

Over the past five years, I have worked as Principal at Valley View Public School where my focus has been on developing an inclusive and nurturing learning environment where all students are supported to become happy, healthy, life-long learners. I have worked across a diverse range of educational settings and I look forward to sharing my educational leadership knowledge, expertise and experiences with the staff and children.

New Principal Mary Hunt with School Captains Sam and Darcy.

As the old African Proverb states, “It takes a village to raise a child.” I look forward to working closely with students, staff and parents in the years to come to ensure that students receive the best possible educational journey at Copacabana Public School.

Mary Hunt – Principal

Diary Dates

YEAR 3-6 MUSICAL

Tuesday 10 Sept Wednesday 11 Sept Thursday 12 Sept

Copa PS events keeping us busy – September 2019

The beginning of Term 3 has been very busy with two whole school events - the Athletics Carnival and Science Enrichment Day. Both were highly successful, thanks to the hard work of staff and the support of our parents. The Athletics Carnival was definitely a soggy affair but this did not seem to dampen the spirit of competitors, supporters or staff! The Science Enrichment Day provided all students with opportunities to participate in a range of highly engaging science and technology activities.

Central Coast Public Education Week Awards

The Central Coast Public Education Week Awards are an annual event designed to recognise members of school communities who make outstanding contributions to public education. This year’s ceremony will be held on 20th August and Copacabana Public School’s recipients are Pat Sharpe, School Administration Manager and Mick Davis, the school’s General Assistant. We offer our congratulations to them both.

Copa PS students shine at Anzac Day Dawn Service

On Thursday April 25 several hundred people gathered at the flagpoles to participate in the Copa Anzac Day Dawn Service. Numbers were well up on last year and on a perfect Autumn Day, the gentle waves of Copa provided a perfect backdrop to the solemn and moving occasion.

It was wonderful to have students from Copa school attend, dressed proudly in their uniforms and playing a significant part in the ceremony. The Prayer of Remembrance was delivered perfectly by Summer Skahill; Sienna Strickland and Sam Jager read the very moving poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ by John McCrae and Sam Power and Darcy Strode laid a wreath on behalf of the school community. At the beginning of Reveille, Cooper Hobbs and Kaiden McNamara helped raise the Aboriginal and Australian flags, a sombre and memorable moment.

All the students behaved in a respectful and gracious manner and their parents, teachers and the whole community can be proud that this younger generation shows such a fine understanding of the proud traditions and significance of ANZAC day. We thank them and Vicki Woodham, Assistant Principal of Copa PS for their contribution in making this a very special occasion for all of us.

Diary Dates

JUNE 2019

Tuesday 11th June
P&C Meeting

JULY 2019

Monday 8th July
School holidays begin

Monday 22nd July

Back to school

Welcome to Kindergarten

The 2019 school year has begun with much enthusiasm from the students, their parents/carers and teachers alike. We have had a very busy time settling into school life and learning rules and routines. Not being able to do exactly what you want, when you want can take a bit of adjusting to…and that’s just the teachers!!! When we really stop to think about all the things we cram into a school year and look back on how far we come from the beginning to the end, it’s absolutely amazing.

Kindergarten is the year where so much growth is observed and those little vessels fill very quickly with so much information. It is a precious year too where a child’s innocence is observably priceless and the simplest things in life are nurtured, cherished and appreciated. From then on, life becomes just that little bit harder and tainted.

We are looking forward to an amazing year with our 39 little chickens and are absolutely chuffed with the brood. Considering that this year’s 2019 Kindergarten students will complete their HSC in 2031, it is timely for all of us to continue being innovative and maintain that forward thinking.

Ben Thomas – Principal

Congratulations Rory!

Congratulations to Rory Kearns, this year’s winner of the

Bonnie Hawkins Citizenship Award.

We wish all CPS students happy holidays and Merry Christmas

Fairwell to Year 6 2018

In just three weeks’ time, the Year 6 class of 2018 will walk out of their classroom at Copacabana PS for the last time. Like many Year 6 students before them, their primary school years will have come to an end. They will clear out their tote tray one last time, say their final goodbyes to classmates and teachers and walk through the famous ‘farewell tunnel’. The thought of finishing primary school and starting high school will no doubt evoke some mixed emotions of both nervousness and excitement.

All our Year 6 students will be sadly missed at Copacabana PS. They have been an outstanding group of students who have helped make our school the wonderful place it is.

We wish them all the best for high school and into the future and hope they cherish the time they spent at primary school. Be strong, look after yourself and your friends and remember, Effort Earns Success!

Ben Thomas – Principal

Sporting House ‘Ross’ Triumphs at Athletics Carnival September 2018

Every year Copacabana Public School hold their annual Athletics Carnival. This year all the students, staff and families ventured down to Mingara Athletic Facilities for a fun filled day of Olympiad style competition. This is where the students have the opportunity to support their sporting house teams across a whole school focus whilst displaying their amazing athletic abilities.

Students are divided into Sporting Houses at the time of their initial enrolment and the students support their house until leaving the school at the end of Year 6 by competing in and supporting different sporting and classroom activities. The four sporting houses are called White, Ross, Cullen and Chapman. These house names are named after early settlers to the Copacabana area.

After researching local history from our school Library, we discovered how our sporting houses were named.

‘Chapman’ is named after early settlers to Copacabana, Roy and Ivo Chapman. They purchased 24 acres from the MacMasters Subdivision in 1920-23 on the north side of the lake (see photo to right). Clearing an area of bushland, they farmed beans together.

Later they purchased the adjoining 15 acres of land and a further 13 acres as a windbreak. Roy and Ivo cleared more of their land and had their own separate farms. The sporting house Chapman is symbolised by the students proudly wearing the colour yellow.

‘Cullen’ and Cullen’s Road are named after an eccentric bachelor who lived on land that Charlie White purchased in 1904. The Chief Justice of NSW, Sir William Cullen paid Charlie White so that his brother (whose given name we are unable to confirm) could live there, ensuring he was kept out of public view. Members of the Cullen sporting house wear red.

‘White’ is named after the early settler, Charles White, who owned 240 acres on both sides of Cullen’s Road in 1904. His land went all the way up to and across Cape Three Points Road. Charles White planted pine trees. Naturally enough, White sporting house members wear white!

However, it is our sporting house ‘Ross’ that is the topic of our news story this edition and this sporting house we believe is named after Alec Ross. Alec purchased land that was originally owned by Charles White on Cullen’s Road in the 1920’s planting citrus trees and then successfully turning it into a banana plantation. Green is the colour worn by members of the sporting house Ross.

Despite a mixture of sunny, windy conditions, the Athletics Carnival was a great day with students giving 100% in all their events. The Copacabana Community Spirit soared high as usual with barbecues and helpers enthusiastically making it a great day. Congratulations to the sporting house ROSS a well-deserved victory by your team and an explosive array of the colour green as you supported your house with enthusiasm.