Extracurricular activities can empower students to make their own decisions and help them gain vital experience and skills to lead them on the path to their future. At North Rocks Public School, we believe that extracurricular activities help students gain experience in a variety of areas that will enhance their future.
Interschool sport
Our school is proudly linked to the Castle Hill Primary School Sports Association (PSSA). The PSSA runs a competitive Friday sports program throughout both the summer and winter months. The summer competition is split into two sections Term 1 and Term 4. Student selected in teams must commit to both ends of the competition. The winter competition runs from the end of Term 1 through Terms 2 and 3.
Sports on offer
Summer sports
- junior and senior cricket
- junior and senrio girls and boys touch football
- senior boys and girls softball
- junior girls and boys T-Ball
Winter sports
- junior and senior soccer
- junior and senior netball
- junior and senior newcombe ball
- junior and senior AFL
All students in Years 3 to 6 are eligible to try out for selection in these sporting teams. Students who are turning 10 or under in the year in question are eligible for the junior teams whilst students who are turning 11 or 12 are eligible for the senior teams.
Note to parents and students of those entering Year 3: It is very challenging for Year 3 students to make these representative teams. They are competing against students in Year 4 as well as those students in Year 5 turning 10.
Trials for these teams are conducted at lunchtimes in the weeks preceding the start of the competition. Students are informed of the trials by the organising teacher at the morning assembly. Students are expected to show responsibility by listening to the trial messages and attending trials if they wish to be considered for selection.
Teachers who nominate to coach a team are the sole selectors and consider a number of factors when selecting teams. These may include ability, attitude, behaviour and commitment. Students who are unsuccessful in gaining selection are to be commended for their efforts and will benefit from the rounded sports program offered back at school.
Music
As a part of the school's release of face to face program, every child at North Rocks Public School attends one 40 minute session of music each week.
Music is explored at school by focussing on 5 ways of producing sound.
- pitch (how high or low)
- tempo (how fast or slow)
- dynamics (how loud or soft)
- duration (how long or short)
- tone colour (how different)
During the year, these musical concepts will be taught through fun games, with the emphasis on participation and enjoyment. All children will be allowed the opportunity to play a variety of untuned and tuned musical percussion instruments.
Our music room is equipped with a piano, organ, keyboard, autoharp and a guitar, which all students are encouraged to explore. We also have many and varied instruments which are played regularly as part of each lesson. These instruments range from the more commonly known untuned instruments such as triangles, tambourines and castanets, to the not so well known instruments such as guiros, vibraslaps and cabasas. Commonly known tuned instruments played regularly include boomwackers, chime bars and glockenspiels. We also have a number of metallophones and xylophones for the students to play.
The students at North Rocks also experience live performance. Either opera or orchestra is studied each year. Stage one students visit the orchestra at the ABC Centre to listen to a selected repertoire that they have been learning in class or Oz Opera visit our school to present their opera to all students via incursion. To complement the opera, and have all students experience performing using voice, North Rocks Public School joins with schools nationally, to participate in the Music Count Us In program.
Choirs
Students who are interested in joining the choir are to audition at the beginning of the year or notify the choir coordinators if they are mid-year enrolments. If students are successful with their audition they will have the chance to join the school choir, which performs at many important school assemblies and ceremonies throughout the year.
Other performance opportunities include:
- North Rocks Public School Symphonic showcase
- Anzac Day ceremony
- K-Mart Wishing Tree launch
- NRPS presentation day
- The Primary proms festival, Town Hall (junior choir)
- Celebration Sing Out, Town Hall (senior choir).
Joining any of the choirs requires a commitment to attend all rehearsals and to learn the repertoire required. Students who have been part of North Rocks Public School choirs in the past have cherished the experience. Choir students gain a unique knowledge of performance techniques along with a sense of pride as they represent their school.
Debating
Our school debating teams participate in two competitions, the Premier's Debating Challenge, and the Galston Competition.
This year we have entered two teams into the Premier's Debating Challenge. This is a competition where the two teams have one hour to prepare a debate after jointly selecting the topic.
We also have four teams of students participate in the Galston Competition. These students are given two weeks to prepare a topic before debating against another school.
Robotics
This year will be North Rocks Public School's first year taking in the First® LEGO® League robotics competition. First® LEGO® League is a competition catering for upper-primary and lower-secondary school students.
Every year, teams of up to 10 students build, program and compete with a robot, while also learning about a modern problem in science and engineering and developing solutions for it.
The entire competition for the year is based around one of these themes. Past themes include natural disasters, senior citizens, food health and safety, climate change, medical science, and nanotechnology. Tournaments are run with the feel of a sporting event, and teams compete like crazy while having the time of their lives. Its fun. Its exciting and the skills they learn will last a lifetime.
Our Year 6 robotics team has been developing programming and building skills in preparation for the competition. We are excited to showcase all our hard work.
Band
North Rocks Primary School has developed a very successful and well respected band program over many years and currently have over 130 students participating.
Children are able to join beginner band from Year 3 and need no previous experience. This extends to Year 4 to 6 students as well. However, students must commit to ongoing practice of their instrument and involvement at all band activities including sessions before school. The band program is run by teaching ervices australia and they provide professional music staff to conduct the lessons. Small group lessons and whole band rehearsals are conducted every Tuesday. Children progress to concert band as they improve and finally move up to performance band when they reach the required music level. There are opportunities for the children to perform for the whole school, parents and wider community throughout the year.
Go to band additional information for details.
Band committee
The band committee is made up of parent volunteers and they provide support to the band program. The committee assists in the organisation of a concert each term, fundraising events and the performance band tour each year. They also provide information to parents regarding band events. There are many opportunities for parents to be involved during the year. You can join the committee or help at a concert or fundraising event during the year.
Band members enjoy playing exciting and challenging music representing a wide range of styles. Gaining confidence in performance is an essential part of the learning. The band program aims to foster a love and understanding of music, develop skills in ensemble playing and reading music notation, and facilitates the building of friendships with other musicians from a broad cross-section of the school and community. The many performance opportunities available ensure that students are able to perform to a very high standard each year.
Instruments
There are a range of instruments to choose from in the band, including:
- trumpet
- saxophone,
- flute
- clarinet
- trombone
- bass guitar
- drum
- percussion
- french horn
- keyboard
- euphonium.
Students pay purchase or hire instruments. A second hand instrument register is also available. Advice on instrument selection is given prior to starting in the band.
What are the benefits of learning an instrument and being in a band?
There are many benefits to children when they join band.
Some benefits include:
- helping develop social and life skills such as cooperation, patience and tolerance, and provides the opportunity to make new friends with a common interest
- increasing self-esteem and confidence as they master a new skill
- performing as a group, the children can earn the recognition and respect of their peers,and they can do it in the relative safety of the group rather than having to do it on their own
- helping develop motor coordination
- providing the opportunity to learn another language that transcends culture, age, race and socio-economic status, which they can take with them and use through life
- fostering a creative and expressive outlet which can enhance emotional development
- providing them and you with proof that they can make a commitment and follow through with it.