Junior School, Term 3 Week 5 2026

Making a Difference

There is something particularly powerful about young people choosing to use their energy, creativity and generosity to make a difference in the lives of others. Recently, Pulteney children demonstrated exactly this, raising just over $2,000 at the Nature Market to support two organisations doing important work in our community: The Food Centre and Lutheran Care. The funds were used to purchase a phone and speaker for the Food Centre café. This is a place where members of the community gather to spend time with others. Our donation will allow for music and singing to be a part of this time. Meat was then also purchased for Lutheran Care, an organisation that regularly provides food hampers for those in need. Usually these are non-perishable hampers with no protein. The meat that our children donated will ensure that for the next few weeks at least, this is not the case.

What makes this act of service even more meaningful is that the students didn’t simply raise money—they took the time to think about the needs of others and how their actions could have a genuine impact. Their fundraising reflects the very best of what we hope to nurture at Pulteney: young people who recognise that they have the capacity to contribute, to lead and to serve.

The Food Centre was particularly grateful for the students’ generosity, noting that the donation will help support its work providing essential assistance to people in our community. Their message to our students was a wonderful reminder that acts of kindness, however they begin, can have a lasting impact.

We should be incredibly proud of the efforts of all who supported the Nature Market and our Leaders who used the funds to make a difference. These efforts demonstrate that being a Navy Blue is not simply about what we achieve for ourselves, but what we are prepared to do for others.

Well done to everyone involved. Your generosity has made a real difference.

Junior School Resource Centre – Book Week Information

Term 3 promises to be a very busy and exciting ten weeks in the Junior School Resource Centres. Over the course of the term students will celebrate Book Week and enjoy a selection of special events including an author visit and other literary related performances and activities. On top of all of this, students will also complete the 2026 Premier’s Reading Challenge.

Official Book Week celebrations run across Week 7 (Monday 24 August – Friday 28 August). The theme for this year’s event is Symphony of Stories. As always, we aim to highlight the importance reading plays in the lives of children, helping them to open the doors to learning, imagination, and creativity.

Book Week Parade

This year the Book Week parade will be held on Friday 28 August in the Robert Henshall Gymnasium at 8.45am and will include Reception – Year 6 classes. Parents and friends are welcome to attend, and the parade usually takes about 30 minutes. Children are asked to dress up as a favourite book character or in a costume that reflects the theme, Symphony of Stories. We ask that the children think very carefully about their costumes, they are encouraged to be truly creative. It is not expected that costumes are hired or purchased, often the best costumes are home made.

Book Week Pop-Up Book Fair

The Book Week Pop-Up Book Fair will also be held during Book Week and take on a slightly different format this year. Unlike previous years when we have had two separate shops, we will have one larger pop-up bookstore that will operate from Friday 21 August – Wednesday 26 August. The store will be open before and after school Friday and Monday 21/9 and 24/9) in the Kurrajong undercroft and Tuesday and Wednesday (25/9 and 26/9) in Year 3-6/Science undercroft space. A great range of popular titles will be available for sale along with some fun stationery items. More information about this exciting event will be made available to the community shortly through Seesaw. If you are available and able to volunteer at either a morning (8:00am – 8:45am) or afternoon (3:15pm – 4:00pm) session, please let us know by email (see name links below).

Book Week Author Visit

This Book Week we will also welcome popular children’s author Phil Cummings and enjoy a performance by Perform Education. Perform Education will present their performance, Something Special, to ELC – 3 students on Tuesday 25 August. This performance is a live interactive, engaging and educational show featuring the 2026 CBCA shortlisted books.

Phil Cummings will join our school community on Thursday 3 September and Friday 4 September. Phil will spend his two days working with each year level from Reception to Year 6 focusing on the joy of reading and writing. He is an accomplished and award winning South Australian children’s author who has written countless books. Some of our favourite titles include Anzac Biscuits, Wilbur, It’s Bedtime, Crumbs and Footprint. Children are encouraged to bring along any Phil Cummings’s books that they would like signed during their session which will be Thursday for Year 3 – 6 and Friday for Reception – 2. Phil is a repeat visitor to Pulteney, and we look forward to his visit.

Premier’s Reading Challenge

Term 3 also marks the end of the Premier’s Reading Challenge. Reception – 2 students complete the challenge in class. Year 3 – 6 students complete the challenge independently and are required to have it finished by Friday 4 September. Twelve books in total need to be recorded on the reading record (8 books are chosen from the dedicated reading lists and four books are free choice).

Please come and see the Resource Centre staff if you have any questions or would like some guidance with book selection for the challenge. Spare reading records are available at the circulation desk in the Resource Centres. Students in year 3-6 are asked to hand completed forms to classroom teachers or to post them directly to the activity set up on Seesaw.

If you have any questions regarding the exciting events of term three, please call in and ask our friendly Resource Centre staff. We all look forward to working with you and your children throughout this busy and exciting term.

Happy reading!

Yours Sincerely,

Georgie Buenfeld
Georgie.Buenfeld@pulteney.sa.edu.au

Erin Scheurleer
Erin.Scheurleer@pulteney.sa.edu.au

Gabie Hume
Gabie.Hume@pulteney.sa.edu.au

Junior School Resource Centre Staff

Upcoming Key Dates

Jason Fay
Head of Junior School

Performing Arts

Co-Curricular Updates

A reminder to please ensure you’re logging your child’s absence for Performing Arts Co-Curricular activities via the Pulteney App. Please follow the below instructions:

• Select Co-Curricular Tile
• Select Log co-curricular absence

Junior School
Please note the following updates for Week 7:

• Junior Year 5/6 Dance Troupe BLUE will not have Dance class before school on Wednesday 3 September. Instead, they will rehearse on Friday 4 September from 7.30-8.30am as part of the technical rehearsal.
• Junior Year 4 Dance Troupe will not have Dance class before school on Thursday 3 September. Their rehearsal will take place on Thursday 3 September from 3.20-4.45pm as part of the technical rehearsal. Parents/caregivers are asked to collect their child from the Junior School basketball court at 4.45pm

Gig@theGov

This is your last chance to secure your tickets for this year’s Gig@theGov event – Boogie Wonderland: 1970s Magic! We look forward to welcoming you dressed in your favourite 1970’s attire for what promises to be another fantastic evening of fun, food and music on Thursday 20 August at the Gov, Hindmarsh.

Dinner places are limited, so please make sure you purchase your tickets and reserve your table before you miss out. If you are booking a table for dinner, please ensure you also purchase a ticket. All tickets will be checked upon entrance to the venue.

Please click on the following links or scan the QR code in the poster below.

Click here to purchase TICKETS. $15.00 each. Click here to reserve a table for DINNER.

Pulteney Dance Showcase

In Week 7, we present our annual Pulteney Dance Showcase on Saturday 5 September in Wyatt Hall. This event is always one of the highlights of the Performing Arts calendar.

There will be two performances:

• 30pm Matinee (Year 1 – Year 12 students)
• 00pm Evening (Year 5 – Year 12 students)

A detailed letter was sent home to parents last week, which included important information about the technical rehearsal schedule, costumes/hair/make-up and schedule for the performance day on Saturday 5 September.

The Friends of Performing Arts will again be providing a BBQ sausage sizzle and bar between the two concerts. We warmly invite everyone to stay, enjoy a meal and a drink, and spend time with our Performing Arts community from approximately 5.00pm to 7.00pm. A bar service will also be available during the interval of both concerts. My sincere thanks to all the FoPA members for their time, effort and wonderful support.

Tickets are available now! They are limited and expected to sell quickly, so we encourage you to book early to avoid missing out. Adult tickets cost $20.00 each. Non-performing students are welcome to attend free of charge. Please note that children aged 4 and above will require their own ticket, and we kindly ask that children 3 and under sit on a parent or caregiver’s lap. Performing students do not need a ticket. If your child is performing in both concerts, you will need to purchase tickets to both. Seating is allocated, so booking early will also give you the best chance of securing your preferred seats. Please click on the following links or scan the QR code in the poster below.

• 2.30pm MATINEE
• 7.00pm EVENING

Instrumental Music and Drama Program

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.

Long Lunch Class Basket Donations

• Make a monetary donation online, allowing the organising committee to curate beautiful hampers; or
• Donate an item, with collection baskets available in all ELC and Junior School classrooms.