At PHPS, we now have a new school totem and values system. Our new Award system has been introduced to align with these values.
Our school Values are:
- Respect
- Responsibility
- Aspire
Pennant Hills Public School Totem - Common Brushtail Possum
Here at PHPS we have learnt that the common brushtail possum (in Darug “burumin”) is a family totem symbol for the local Darug people, whose land on which we live, work and play. For this reason, our school felt that the possum was a very appropriate new school totem.
To bring our animal to life student artists created designs of a brushtail possum and our winning candidate Kelsey C won the competition for our school totem.
Our staff then participated in a competition to name our possum with the winning vote deciding that our new school totem would be called 'Pem the Possum'. Historically this name was inspired by Pemulwuy, a Bidjigal man of the Eora nation whose country ‘stretched from Botany Bay south of the Cooks River and west along the Georges River to Salt Pan Creek, south of Bankstown.’ Pemulwuy was believed to be a carradhy or ‘clever man’ with supernatural powers who became a historic figure in Australian Aboriginal history.
