Junior School, Term 1 Week 3 2026

This year NAPLAN will take place between Thursday 12 March (Wk 7) and Monday 23 March (Wk 9) for children in Years 3 and 5. Please consider these dates when booking appointments. Testing for classes will be in Week 7, with Week 8 and 9 being available for make-up tests.

NAPLAN is a nationwide tool used to assess whether students are achieving key educational goals. The most effective preparation for NAPLAN is for students to authentically engage with the curriculum. As the tests draw near, please remind students that they can feel confident knowing that NAPLAN is only one part of their overall school experience, and they should focus on simply doing their best on the day of the test.

For more information about the NAPLAN tests, please refer to the National Assessment Program website.

Volunteering

If you are interested in volunteering for excursions or events at Pulteney, please reach out to Kass Woods to ensure all of your checks are up to date and you are registered.

Upcoming Key Dates

Week	Day	Date	Event
3	Friday	13 Feb	Chapel 8.45am Years 3-6 9.30am Years 1-2
4	Wednesday Friday	18 Feb 20 Feb	Ash Wednesday JS Leadership Induction Assembly 8:30-9:45 R-6 to attend. Wyatt Hall
5	Thursday Friday	26 Feb 27 Feb	Year 6 Overnight Camp Chapel 8.45am Years 3-5 9.30am Years 1-2Year 6 Overnight Camp returns

Tuck shop information line.

As we become more familiar with our new timetable and rhythm of the school day, the right food at the right time is becoming an increasing focus. Please check out the ‘Ready to Learn’ tab on QKR when ordering tucks. If you have any issues, you can now contact the tuck shop directly.

Tuck Enquiries Direct:  8216 5525
Phone hours of operation 8am-9.30am and 1.30pm-3.30pm.

Outside of these times please send an email pulteneypantry@pulteney.sa.edu.au

Updates from other staff in the Junior School

Prep Resource Centre – Volunteers

Our parent volunteers are an invaluable resource. Volunteers are sought to perform various tasks for the Resource Centre. Helpers can assist by; either taking a small bag of books and covering materials home or by coming into the library at a designated time. This could be on an ad hoc basis or in a regular time slot, whichever suits. Resource Centre sessions involve working on re-shelving, covering and other associated tasks. Volunteers working in the Resource Centre itself must have a current Working with Children check and complete the short online course, Responding to Abuse and Neglect. The school can assist with this process.

We will also continue to offer a training program on covering books (date to be advised). This would involve one session of approximately 45 minutes. Light refreshments will be provided for all participants and both new and old volunteers are welcome. This training is not compulsory but may help answer some questions about how we approach covering with plastic and contact in the Resource Centre. It is also a great opportunity to share “trade secrets” on the “art form” that is book covering!

If you would like to be involved in supporting the Resource Centre, we would be very pleased to see you and value any assistance you can give. Please email georgie.buenfeld@pulteney.sa.edu.au and let us know how you would like to help.

Kind regards,

Georgie Buenfeld
Teacher Librarian

Chinese New Year Celebrations

Dear Parents,

新年好 (xīnnián hǎo)! Happy New Year! I hope you have had a lovely holiday with your children. Chinese New Year (新年), also known as the Spring Festival (春节), is China’s most important traditional festival. The date of Chinese New Year is determined by the lunar calendar.

This year, Chinese New Year falls on Tuesday  17 February and ends on Tuesday  3 March. It is the Year of the Horse! To enhance students’ understanding of Chinese culture, the School will celebrate Chinese New Year with our students on Tuesday 3 March.

You are invited to join us at the Osmond Street Café from 8.00–8.30am for Chinese New Year music performed by our Pulteney students. There will also be a complimentary raffle, which will be drawn on the day.

Chinese New Year is full of fireworks, the colour red, and delicious food. On 3 March, all Junior School students are encouraged to wear red shirts or T-shirts with their school shorts, or a Chinese ethnic costume if they have one. Our ELC and Junior School students will enjoy a professional dragon dance performance by the Chinatown Dragon Dance Team from 8.45–9.00am in the outdoor Kurrajong Courtyard. After the dragon dance, there will be a dragon parade from 9.00–9.20am. In the event of extreme heat or rain, the performance will be relocated to Wyatt Hall. Parents are warmly invited to join us and enjoy the festivities.

Following the dragon dance, ELC–Year 2 students will participate in a dragon parade around the school. Parents are again warmly invited to join us. ELC–Year 2 students are asked to bring a noisemaker, as they will parade through the school making as much “good luck noise” as possible. According to legend, the beast 年 (Nián) would attack villages on New Year’s Day until villagers learned that Nián was afraid of the colour red, fire, and loud noises. Noisemakers could include drums, flutes, whistles, tambourines, chimes, bells, shakers, or even a saucepan lid and spoon.

During Chinese New Year, special foods such as dumplings, rice, and noodles are eaten. This year, as part of our celebration, all students and staff will have the opportunity to order Chinese food from the Qkr! app under “Chinese New Year Lunch”. The food will be prepared by the House of Tien Chinese Restaurant. The menu will be available on the Qkr! app from 28 January and will close on 25 February 2026.

House of Tien Chinese Restaurant

Food ingredients include salt, soy sauce and gluten:

Vegetarian dumplings (6 pieces) $6.60
Chinese cabbage, cabbage, egg, wheat flour, tofu

Pork dumplings (6 pieces) $7.60
Pork, Chinese cabbage, wheat flour, spring onion

Spring rolls（3 pieces）$7.60
Carrot, cabbage, rice paper

Special fried rice (500ml) $12.60
Egg, pork, spring onions, shrimp, rice

Hokkien noodle (500ml) $12.60
Fujian noodle, chicken, onion, capsicum, carrot, bean sprouts, onion, bok choy

Wishing you a prosperous and vibrant Year of the Horse! May this year bring you strength, confidence, and success, as the Horse symbolises energy, perseverance, and freedom. May you gallop through challenges with courage and embrace new opportunities with enthusiasm and growth. 恭祝大家马年兴旺繁荣、生机勃勃！愿新的一年赐予我们力量、自信与成功。马象征着活力、毅力与自由，愿大家以勇气跨越挑战，以热情拥抱新机遇，在不断成长中迈向更高目标。

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me at Minmin.Huang@pulteney.sa.edu.au.

Dear Junior Chinese Choir Parents,

We are excited to invite your children to celebrate Chinese New Year with us at Pulteney Grammar on Tuesday 3 March.

The children are warmly invited to perform Chinese New Year songs at the Osmond Street Café. We will be practising the songs during Chinese lesson time and at lunchtime in preparation for the performance.

If you would like your child to participate, please let me know by 31 January. On the day, please ensure your child arrives at the Osmond Street Café by 7.35am for an 8.00am start. In the event of extreme heat or rain, the performance will be relocated to Wyatt Hall. Parents are warmly invited to join us and enjoy the festivities.

Wishing you all the best in the Year of the Horse! 祝大家马年大吉，万事顺心！If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email at Minmin.Huang@pulteney.sa.edu.au.

Best regards,

Minmin Huang
Junior Mandarin Teacher

Performing Arts Co-Curricular Program

It’s not too late to enrol your son or daughter into a Performing Arts Co-Curricular activity. We are still seeking upper primary or lower middle school aged children to join the Junior Handbell Ensemble with Ali O’Connell on Friday mornings 7.45-8.30am with preference given to piano players or students with experience in reading music. Please contact me if your child is interested.

Instrumental Music and Drama Program

A special welcome to three new tutors joining our team: George Torbay (Voice and Musical Theatre), Karen DeNardi (Violin/Viola), and John Collins (Double Bass/Electric Bass).

We are fortunate to continue attracting outstanding musicians and educators to work with our students. I warmly welcome these wonderful people to our Performing Arts community.

Pulteney’s Performing Arts Department offers private tuition for a range of instruments as well as voice and drama lessons.

Applications for this year opened in December 2025 and have been finalised, however students from Reception right through to Year 12 can enrol at any time across the year. If an instrument, type of lesson or teacher is already fully booked, we can place your child on a waiting list until a lesson becomes available.

For more information about our program please click here. If you’re interested in enrolling your son or daughter, please complete the online application form.

Cabaret in the Lane – 2026 Update

As we move through a very busy first term, with a focus on settling into the year and building a strong sense of belonging through key early-term experiences, Cabaret in the Lane will not take place in 2026.

We are mindful of the breadth of commitments for our students and families. Across the year, there will continue to be many opportunities for students to perform, develop their talents and be celebrated in professional and engaging settings.

We remain proud of our students’ achievements and look forward to sharing their performances with our community through a range of productions and performances across the year.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Jonathon Rice
Head of Performing Arts