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- Principal's Report
- Every School Day Matters
- Important Dates
- Term 3 Assembly Schedule
- Scholastic Book Club - Issue 5
- PaKT Term 3
- Kinder 2024
- 1/2 Taylor/Huizing
- 3/4 Clifford
- 5/6 West
- Have Your Say on Current Feeder School Arrangements
- DECYP Regional Sport Coordinators
- Stabilised Pavements - August 7am to 5pm
- Book Week 19 August - 25 August 2023
- Festival of Bright Ideas 19 August 2023
Welcome back to Term 3. It has been a great start to the term with classes settled and ready to learn. I anticipate a great term with lots of learning and skills being developed. Part of the skills being developed also include the way in which we communicate and socialise with each other. We will continue our work on using kind language and actions. This is part of the way in which we work at Austins Ferry and forms part of our values – the value of respect.
Not all learning occurs in the the classroom. This term is no different with the Year 3-5 students (and some Year 6 students) participating in The Swim and Water Safety Programme at Oceana Fitness Centre. The benefit of this programme is that it helps our students become competent and confident in the water and to learn more about how to be safe around and in the water. It also promotes the benefits of physical activity, development of motor skills and an enjoyment of water. A timetable for classes will be sent home within the next week.
One of our focus areas for teaching and learning is Reading. This is a school and system wide focus. Reading allows us to grow our imagination, learn new things and share new knowledge. You can support this at home through reading with your family, looking at words in the environment and talking about stories together.
Last week Year 5 and 6 students experienced Calligraphy (Shodou) with a visiting Japanese Assistant – Riisa. We used pen, brush and ink to write and paint the kanji character for ‘tree’. Work has now been selected and entered into the state wide Japanese competition (ganbatte). The final four students selected for the competition are: Jobe Rainbird, Heliya Hame, Holly Palmer and Talia Vega.
We have a very professional team at Austins Ferry Primary School to provide your children with quality learning programs, but learning does not only happen at school. Learning is a partnership between school and home; you can assist in helping to provide the best chance at learning. Starting with the following points will assist children starting on the right foot ready to learn each day.
- Are they getting enough sleep by going to bed at an age-appropriate time? Studies have proven that tiredness has a marked effect on children’s (and adults) learning; School Wellbeing Check-in Surveys with our students in the past have highlighted that 45% of students have at least 8 hours sleep each night, 23% “Kind of” and 32% do not get 8 hours sleep.
- Are they eating a healthy breakfast? Hunger can make the start of the day an emotional one for your child. Breakfast helps ensure the start to the day is a more positive one; The Wellbeing Check-in Survey with our students highlighted that 54% had breakfast and 39% did not on the day of the survey.
- Are they arriving at school on time? Students can arrive at school from 8:30am and Breakfast club at 8:00am. Arriving prior to 9:00am allows students to connect with their friends and be more settled for the start of the school day. The first 10 minutes of the day in the classroom are probably the most important 10 minutes. Arriving on time ensures the children are happy, settled, and ready to learn. It can be stressful for a student to walk into the classroom late as well as unsettling for the rest of the class.
- Provide your child with healthy food and plenty of water to drink. A hungry or thirsty child has difficulty learning and staying on task.
- Be encouraging when talking to your child about school and demonstrate a positive attitude towards school. Your feelings and attitude are often transferred to your child, if you are positive about school, then your child will be also.
- Talk to your child about the positive parts of their day at school. Ask about the most fun thing that happened at school, etc.
- Try to read and look at books with your child daily. The best way to improve your child’s literacy skills is to be positive about reading and to share books together. Talking about books at all ages encourages a positive approach to reading development, even adults.
- Remember: together we can make a difference!
Partnerships between home and school are of the utmost importance. We are looking at ways to share what is happening in the classrooms with our families at home. Please ensure that you let your child’s teacher know if there are any circumstances that may affect their happiness or learning at school. This ensures that we are able to cater for their needs appropriately.
The School Association is a vital part of our school community. It is a place to have discussions about school policies, improvement plans and school values. We talk about raising funds to benefit the school and ways of working. We would love to hear from the school community about what effects you and your thoughts and ideas about our wonderful school. To help facilitate open communication and a sense of belonging, we are inviting you to share you ideas with us. Please feel free to drop your thoughts / ideas into the box that will be in our front office by Friday 11 August. We can then table these ideas at our next School Association meeting. If you would like to come along and be involved in the Association, the next meeting will be on Tuesday 22 from 6pm. We’d love to see you there.
As always, please feel free to come and have a chat.
There are so many reasons to go to school. Make every school day count this term!
Remember: You can talk to us at school if you’re having trouble getting your child to school. We’re here to help.
When your child goes to school every day, it helps them to:
• Learn better
• Find interests
• Make friends
• Connect with teachers
• Be happier
• Have a brighter future
Tuesday 8 August 2023 | Book Club Orders Placed | |
Friday 11 August 2023 | Winter Sports | |
Wednesday 16 August 2023 | Book Parade (TBC) | |
Monday 21 August 2023 | Learn to Swim Years 3-6 | |
Monday 21 August 2023 - Friday 25 August 2023 |
Book Week |
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Tuesday 22 August 2023 |
SPSSA Winter Netball and Football Carnivals |
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Monday 28 August 2023 | Learn to Swim Years 3-6 | |
Monday 28 August 2023 | Student Wellbeing Survey Opens | |
Friday 8 September 2023 | Terrapin Puppet Performance | |
Tuesday 19 September 2023 | Years 3-6 Swim Trials | |
Friday 22 September 2023 | Student Wellbeing Survey Closes | |
Tuesday 26 September 2023 | Years 3-6 Swimming Carnival | |
Friday 29 September 2023 | Footy Colours Day | |
Friday 29 September 2023 | Last Day of Term 3 | |
Monday 16 October 2023 | First Day of Term 4 | |
Thursday 26 October 2023 | Student Free Day / Royal Hobart Show Day | |
Friday 27 October 2023 | Student Free Day / Professional Learning Day | |
Thursday 9 November 2023 | Inter-School Swimming Carnival | |
Tuesday 28 November 2023 | Champs Swimming Carnival | |
Friday 1 December 2023 | Years 3-6 School Triathlon | |
Thursday 7 December 2023 | Christmas Carols Event (TBC) | |
Tuesday 12 December 2023 | 2-2:30pm | Prep-Year 2 Assembly |
Thursday 14 December 2023 | 2-2:30pm | Years 3-6 Awards Assembly |
Tuesday 19 December 2023 | School Picnic | |
Wednesday 20 December 2023 | Leavers Dinner | |
Thursday 21 December 2023 | Leavers Assembly | |
Thursday 21 December 2023 | Final Day for Students |
Scholastic Book Club - Issue 5
Issue 5 of the Scholastic Book Club has been distributed to students. Please return your order form with payment to the school office by Tuesday 8 August 2023.
In Term 2, 1/2 Taylor/Huizing embarked on an inquiry into living things and their habitats. We learnt about different types of soil and how they can support plant and animal life. This lead us down the track of talking about worms. Many students were interested in learning more about worms. We researched and created informative posters on worm life and worm anatomy. We used the Kitchen / Garden to collect worm-filled soil and sand. We created a worm farm for our classroom with alternating layers of soil and sand. Based on our understanding of worms, we posed predictions about what we might observe happen in the worm farm and we made observations over time.
To begin the term, Mawsons Huts visited AFPS to teach all students and teachers in Red Pod about Antarctica. It was a very hands on science day, and the teachers were lucky to have a session with David and Layah after school. All involved learned some funny and unexpected things about the animals and their habitat in the South Pole area – I wonder if your child could tell you something they enjoyed learning?
For Term 3 in 5/6 West we will be conducting an inquiry in Asia, the countries in it and their relationships with Australia. Students will pick a country in Asia, conduct an investigation into their chosen country, then present their findings in either a poster, PowerPoint or oral speech. So far we have learnt about some of the larger countries, such as China and Japan, with many others to follow.
Have Your Say on Current Feeder School Arrangements
The Department for Education Children and Young People is seeking feedback from families on current feeder school arrangements. These arrangements have been in place for many years and are currently under review. The current feeder school arrangements have been published and can be found on the Department’s Find Your Local High School webpage. Feedback on these current arrangements can be provided via on online survey at https://forms.office.com/r/q6SrdMne2i. Your feedback will be a valuable input into the review process.
Book Week 19 August - 25 August 2023
Book Week 19-25 August 2023
This year the theme of book week is Read, Grow, Inspire. As part of our celebrations, we will be holding our parade on Wednesday 16 August, to avoid a clash with the Learn to Swim programme.
The book parade will be held in GP hall. Unfortunately due space restrictions, we will be unable to accommodate parents during the parade.
If you have any questions about book week please contact your child’s teacher to find out more.
Festival of Bright Ideas 19 August 2023
Experience the brightest innovation, research, and technology in Tasmania. There's a huge range of mind-blowing science for all ages to explore - brain science, health science, rock science, robot science, animal science, plant science, number science (maths!), and much more.
This year, FOBI also features Questacon’s Science on the Move exhibition – this means an extra 33 hands-on science experiences for you to enjoy!
Check out the FOBI program and book your tickets now to avoid disappointment – some sessions sell out quickly.
festivalofbrightideas.com.au