Plunkett Post (2026, Issue 2)

Curriculum news

Eyesight screening test

A reminder that STePS vision screener notes are due next Friday.

All students age 4-6 are eligible for an eyesight screening test. Most students would have had this completed in preschool. For any student in Kindergarten who did not get this screener at preschool, the StEPS team will conduct this service at Nowra Public School on April 1.

A letter and a consent form was sent home with every Kindergarten student. Please return these forms by February 27. If you need a new permission note, please see the office staff who can arrange this for you.

Mural in a day

Wellbeing

Launching “The Nowra Way” — our whole-school wellbeing curriculum

This year, we are proud to launch our whole-school wellbeing curriculum, The Nowra Way.

The Nowra Way brings together our shared expectations, consistent routines and evidence-informed wellbeing practices to ensure every student feels safe, valued and ready to learn. It reflects our belief that wellbeing and learning are deeply connected — when students feel secure and supported, they thrive academically and socially.

We have spent the first three weeks of school explicitly teaching The Nowra Way to ensure a strong start to the year.

Explicit teaching of rules and routines

At Nowra Public School, we explicitly teach what our expectations look like in every setting — classrooms, playgrounds, assemblies and transitions. We model, practise and reinforce positive behaviours so that all students clearly understand how to contribute to a safe and respectful learning environment. Consistency across the school helps students feel confident and reduces uncertainty.

Building strong teacher–student relationships

Strong relationships sit at the heart of The Nowra Way. Each class has been participating in structured units of work designed to strengthen relationships, build trust and foster a sense of belonging. When students feel known and valued by their teachers, engagement increases and students are more willing to take positive risks in their learning.

Teaching emotional regulation

Students are also participating in explicit lessons focused on recognising and managing emotions, drawing on the evidence-based framework of The Zones of Regulation. Through this approach, students learn to identify different emotional “zones”, understand how emotions influence behaviour, and develop practical strategies to regulate themselves across a range of situations. The Zones use four coloured categories — blue, green, yellow and red — to help children identify how they are feeling and understand that all emotions are normal. Students are taught practical strategies to regulate themselves, such as breathing techniques, movement breaks and positive self-talk, so they can return to a calm and focused state ready for learning. This common language is used across the school to support consistency and confidence.

Wellbeing hubs

Our dedicated Wellbeing Hubs on both our Infants and Primary sites are running again this year after a successful introduction last year. These spaces are staffed by members of the executive team and provide structured support for students who need assistance with regulation. Students may access the Hub using a yellow card when they recognise they need a short regulation break and support to reset. A red card is used for teacher-directed time out, where students engage in guided reflection with executive staff to repair relationships, take responsibility and plan for successful re-entry to class. Our Wellbeing Hubs ensure that students are supported in a consistent, calm and restorative way, while maintaining high expectations for behaviour and learning.

Wellbeing teachers

We have also invested in The Nowra Way by assigning two of our most talented and experienced teachers to support teacher capacity in wellbeing and behaviour across the whole school. Mrs Clea Nicolson and Mrs Kylie McIntosh are expert teachers whose knowledge and skills will be shared across the whole staff to ensure that every classroom is a safe and positive learning environment. These teachers are supported by the school leadership team to work alongside classroom teachers to guide, model and team teach wellbeing consistently across both sites.

The Nowra Way ensures that all staff use common language and shared practices, providing clarity and consistency for students from Kindergarten to Year 6.

We look forward to continuing this important work and partnering with families as we strengthen our shared commitment to a positive, inclusive and supportive learning environment for every child.

Yilags

At assembly each fortnight, students are recognised by their teachers for their efforts in following The Nowra Way in one of our 4 values - Safety, Respect, Responsibility and Learning. Golden Yilags are also awarded by the Assistant Principal's to students who have made a huge effort to follow the Yilag Focus of the Week.

Students who receive two or more Yilags in each of the four values throughout the year will receive a Yilag Medallion at the end of the year. Our Baraga students in supported classes will aim for 3 awards in each value.

Yilags are recorded and communicated to parents through School Bytes. An email will be sent to parents when their child will be receiving a Yilag at the upcoming assembly. The Yilags are also shown in the parent portal so you are always aware of how your child is progressing with Yilags throughout the year.

Students also receive Yilag minis throughout the day for following The Nowra Way. These minis are used at Yilag Rewards Day at the end of each term.

Teachers can also recognise student efforts by sending a Positive Postcard via School Bytes email. This is a quick, positive message to parents/carers to recognise their child's efforts in a particular area.

Our week 5 focus

Learning and support

Our dedicated Learning and Support team has been working closely with teachers over the past few weeks to review student data and identify the most appropriate literacy learning pathways for every student. Our goal is to ensure that all students are learning at their point of need and are appropriately supported, extended and challenged.

For most students, literacy instruction will continue within their regular classroom. For some students, however, adjustments may include flexible grouping or learning in a different classroom setting to ensure the right level of support or extension is provided.

Students requiring more intensive support in literacy may be invited to participate in small-group intervention programs, including the evidence-based initiatives MiniLit and MacqLit. If your child is selected to participate in one of these programs, you will receive communication from our Learning and Support Team in the coming weeks outlining further details.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s learning progress at any time, we encourage you to contact their class teacher or Stage Assistant Principal. Together, we can discuss next steps, including the possibility of a Learning and Support referral if appropriate.

Parental advice for posting images

Every day counts

Attendance matters - every student every day!

Just a few missed days here and there can add up to weeks of lost learning over a school year. Our school, along with all schools across NSW, is focused on improving student attendance to ensure everyone has the best opportunity to succeed.

Missing just 1 day of school each fortnight adds up to 4 weeks of lost learning a year. Over a student's school life, this equates to an entire year of missed learning.

Why attendance matters

Academic success: Regular attendance helps students keep up with their schoolwork.
Friendships: Attending school regularly helps students build and maintain friendships.
Habits: School helps children build routines and habits for life.

Please ensure your child attends every day that the school is open. If your child is going to be away, please let the school know as soon as possible, ideally within 7 days.

Leaders assembly

Keeping students safe

Back to school tips

School Bytes

Nowra Public School uses a student management system called School Bytes. As part of its offering School Bytes provides parents an intuitive and easy-to-use parent portal that provides the following benefits:

real time push notifications (mobile app only)
the ability to save your card for secure payments for fees and excursions
the ability to give consent, sign forms and respond to attendance alerts
view our school calendar and news

In addition, the School Bytes parent portal enables parents to view all their children in one place and process payments for multiple siblings in a single transaction.

To get started, simply download the School Bytes app to your mobile device, available via the App Store (iPhone/iPad) and Google Play (Android). Please enable push notifications when prompted to ensure that the school can effectively communicate with you.

The School Bytes parent portal can also be accessed from any desktop or notebook computer through a web browser by heading over to portal.schoolbytes.education.

Setting up your account

To get started, open a web browser and navigate to https://portal.schoolbytes.education/auth/register.
Enter your first and last names as they appear on your student’s enrolment profile at school.
Enter the email address that you use for school communication.
Enter and then confirm a password that you’d like to use.
Click or tap on the Create account button.

An email will be sent to the email address you provided. Once you have verified your email address, you may log in to the School Bytes parent portal.

Linking students

Log into your parent portal.
Select Link other student.
Search for Nowra Public School.
Enter the student’s first and last names into the fields provided.
Select the student’s current grade.
Enter the student’s date of birth.
Click or tap on the Search button.

If all of the information provided is a match to their enrolment profile at the school the system will add them to your parent portal automatically. If you are unable to link a student to your account or if you have any further questions, please contact the front office.

Community news

DMFS Nowra Welcome Expo 2026

ADF members and families in the Shoalhaven and Illawarra regions are invited to join DMFS Nowra for a welcome expo.

Date: Saturday 28 February 2026
Time: 10am – 1pm
Where: Fleet Air Arm Museum

Whether you’re new to Defence or have been part of the community for a while, all Defence families are welcome.

Families can enjoy a jumping castle, games and activities and explore the Fleet Air Arm Museum. This is a great opportunity to meet other Defence families and explore services and organisations from the Defence and local community networks.

For more information and to register, please visit: Eventbrite - Welcome to Shoalhaven Expo 2026.