Helensburgh Public School

125 Years Of Educating The ‘Burgh And Still Plenty To Offer

Helensburgh Public School boasts state-of-the-art modern infrastructure combined with a long and proud history dating all the way back to 1887; the school recently celebrated its 125^th anniversary. Recent upgrades completed in stages over the last few years make this one of the most well-equipped schools in the region.

Upgrades to the school infrastructure included:

A brand new canteen; the school’s first ‘official’ school hall; and a covered outdoor learning area (COLA) all completed in 2006.
A larger school library; an improved administration block; and two new classrooms. Building was completed in 2008.
Four new classrooms for Stage 3 classes were completed in 2011.

Helensburgh Public School caters for primary school students from Kindergarten to Year 6, and is located in Fletcher St, Helensburgh. The school is contactable via phone 02 4294 1332 and email (helensburg-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au).

Like all NSW schools, Helensburgh operates on a four-term school year, beginning at the end of January and usually ending about a week before Christmas. School days run from 8:55am to 2:55pm, with a 55-minute lunch at 11:25am and a 20-minute recess at 1:50pm.

Parents are asked make voluntary school contributions in lieu of school fees, and contribution amounts are calculated on costs of equipment and resources at the beginning of each school year.

With a student body of less than 500, Helensburgh Public School boasts a student-centred curriculum and philosophy, most notably, ‘Creating a firm foundation for lifelong learning’. Numerous programs are provided to ensure a strong foundation of literacy and numeracy skills. These include:

Reading Recovery
Best Start
Hubbard Street
Count Me In Too
Buddy reading
Parent helpers

The school also focuses on building a strong sense of community, co-operation, self-expression, and fair-play amongst its pupils, both within the student body, and with the larger community outside the school. Much of this is achieved through participation in other programs offered by the school, such as:

Peer Support
Student Representative Council
Southern Stars (performing arts arena spectacular with combined schools from throughout the Illawarra)
PSSA Sport (NSW Primary School Sports Association, featuring a variety of competition sports)
Gymsports
Band
Choir
Dance group
Environmental group
Official school website featuring many examples of students’ class work, as well as news about excursions and sports carnivals, which is regularly updated – http://www.helensburg-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/index.html

Both parental and community involvement in the school is encouraged, with the school publishing both a weekly newsletter (‘The Helensburgh Highlights’), which can be found on their website, as well as an ‘HPS News Blog’ providing more immediate information and news. Visitors to the school, including past students, are also welcome, provided they call ahead to arrange a time to visit. There are also a number of community events that take place at the school, such as the annual School Fete; Grandparents’ Day; student art shows; and parent open days.

Helensburgh Public School offers a modern education experience for both its students and their families, while keeping a respect for the school’s history. This was recently seen in their extensive 125^th anniversary celebrations (2012), which included a community birthday party at the school; anniversary dinner at the Helensburgh Workers Club; and students learning about the school’s foundation through class work and projects.