31 March 2026

What a wonderful first term we have all enjoyed at Woonona Public School! I am excited to announce that I will continue in the Relieving Principal role for Term 2, whilst Mr Fisher continues to relieve in a Director’s role. I feel extremely fortunate and privileged to be leading this great school and look forward to another term in this position. Mrs McLerie will continue to relieve in my Deputy Principal role for Term 2. It is anticipated that Mr Fisher will return in Term 3.

In the past two weeks things have certainly been busy at Woonona PS!

On Wednesday 18 March we had school photos, followed by a wonderful parent information evening, organised by our P&C. Michelle Mitchell was a very engaging guest speaker who provided some great insights into the ‘tween’ years. Special thanks to the P&C for organising such a wonderful evening and to the parents who attended. Homelife is very busy, especially towards the end of term and it was great that those who attended made this event a priority, as it will only benefit our kids.

We hosted a lovely afternoon tea on Thursday 19 March to engage with our aboriginal families. Personalised Learning Plans were developed, in conjunction with teachers, students and family members. This demonstrates the strong partnership we have with our families and the importance we place on such valuable connections. Thank you to all of those who attended and to those who were a part of the organisation for this event.

Harmony Day was celebrated on Friday 20 March and once again Woonona Public School students showed their support to recognise such an important day by wearing orange and engaging in some valuable lessons and activities on the day. Be sure to check out photos and video footage on the school Facebook and Instagram accounts, which perfectly encapsulates the vibe of the day.

Last Tuesday 24 March Ms Phillips and I had the great privilege of taking a group of Year 6 students, including our leadership team, to the Halogen Young Leaders Day, hosted at the ICC in Darling Harbour. It was an early start for all, meeting at Thirroul train station at 7:15am. Our students truly embraced the wonderful experiences on offer by being completely engaged when listening to guest speakers and really reflecting on what leadership can look like. They really saw the value in taking risks and embracing all experiences, not knowing where they may lead you. A highlight of the day was being approached by a stranger once we got off the train at Town Hall to tell Ms Phillips and I how impressed she was with our students, how respectful they were for the entire train trip and most importantly how lovely they were in the way they spoke to each other. To say Ms Phillips and I were proud of our students is an understatement!

The following day saw all students in years 1-6 converge on Hollymount park for our annual cross country. The weather was extremely kind to us and again, our students were outstanding. Special thanks to Mr Argaet and Mrs Gibson for their outstanding organisation and willingness to make our cross country as best as it can possibly be. Students who are progressing through to the district carnival have been notified who I’m sure will do some training over the holidays before the district cross country next term. This event was followed by a wonderful Kindergarten 2027 information evening, with many new families attending. This year we provided families with a tour, and they were in absolute awe of our beautiful school facilities and expansive grounds. Please remind any neighbours, friends enrolling children in our school for 2027 to make contact with the school if they haven’t already and be sure to share our Kindergarten orientation dates, all highly visible on our school Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Tomorrow Wednesday 1 April is our Parent Teacher interviews. Bookings have now closed, so if you were unable to make a booking or unable to attend please contact your child’s teacher, via the front office, to make an alternative time.

This Thursday 2 April, is one of our most anticipated events on the school calendar, the Easter Hat parade. Classrooms have been abuzz with activity and an abundance of craft supplies in preparation. Please come along and enjoy the parade. The parade will start at approximately 9:15am and conclude by 10:15am. Our Easter raffle prizes will also be drawn during this time.

A few reminders about some dates next term, as there are quite a few long weekends.

• Term 2 School Development Days, staff only. Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 April.
• Students return to school: Wednesday 22 April.
• ANZAC Day public holiday: Monday 27 April (Week 2)
• King’s Birthday public holiday: Monday 8 June (Week 8)

I would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Easter break, spent with friends and family. I look forward to welcoming all the students and families back next term, rejuvenated for another action packed term at Woonona, with some exciting things on the horizon!

Woonona sure is a busy place and has something happening for everyone!

Ms Alison Strinic

Relieving Principal

At Woonona Public School we use School Bytes app to make communication and admin easier for families. These tools help you:

• make payments quickly and securely
• view academic reports
• stay up to date with school events
• record absences.

Click here to download the app.

• Music Lessons $35 - Payment due now
• Choral Festival Participants $10 - Payment due now
• Southern Stars Participants $60 - Payment due Wed 1 April
• Stage 3 Canberra Excursion deposit $130 - Payment due Wed 1 April

This term, Stage 3 Art Club students explored the inspiring style of Jeannie Baker, known for her detailed collage illustrations and her strong focus on caring for the natural environment. Using her work as inspiration, students created their own beautiful collages using a variety of materials including paper, felt, cardboard, string and more.

Each week, students dedicated their lunchtime to carefully designing, building and refining their artworks. Their creativity, persistence and enthusiasm were wonderful to see, and the final pieces are something to be very proud of.

Well done to everyone involved!

Mrs Lawlor and Mrs Stewart

Congratulations to all our talented athletes on their outstanding achievements!

Rheon and Amaya have been selected for the South Coast girls soccer team—well done!

Special congratulations to Rheon and Reg for their selection in the South Coast rugby league training squads; they will attend the final trial early next term.

Olive has been chosen as a shadow player in girls basketball, and Monty has earned a spot on the South Coast hockey team—fantastic efforts!

Swimmer Imogen impressed at the South Coast swimming carnival and will proudly represent our school and region at the state championships. Additionally, many of our students have made zone teams and are now in contention for South Coast selection in Touch, Rugby, Boys Soccer, Softball, and Netball.

We wish them all the best as they continue their sporting journey. Keep up the great work!

Darcy Heffernan

Our school tennis team had their first round match up against Kemblawarra PS on Thursday 19 March. We played at Wiseman Park Tennis courts and walked away with a very convincing win.

Sam, Charlie, Tilly and Reeva all successfully won their set of singles each. The boys won their doubles, with the girls going down in their set of doubles after a tough tussle. They all went on to win their sets of mixed doubles convincingly, Sam and Tilly winning their set 6-0 and Reeva and Charlie also winning their set 6-0.

The team are now through to the next round, playing Gerringong Public School on Friday 1 May.

Credit is to be given to our tennis players, not only for the high quality of tennis they played but for their sportsmanship and genuine sense of happiness and fun they radiated on the day. Another example of the wonderful kids we have at Woonona!

Ms Strinic

Tennis Team Manager

Uniform orders are filled weekly by P&C volunteers.

School hats/caps are available to purchase from the front Office, cash payments only.

Further information on ordering uniforms can be found on the school website.

Please be aware that there are students in our school with allergies to nuts. We ask that you give consideration to voluntarily agreeing not to send nut products, in particular peanuts and peanut butter to school.