Austins Ferry Primary School eNewsletter

Newsletter 20 November 2019

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Newsletter 20 November 2019

Principal's Report
Travelling the world in the 2/3 Street
2/3 Gallen
Early Childhood Swimming & Water Safety Program
Upcoming Events
2020 School Levy Payments
Kindergarten 2020
Attendance Notifications
Important Reminders
Christmas Carols @ Austins Ferry
Home Reading Club
Austins Ferry Primary School Association Christmas Raffle
Brighton Show 'Design your Dream Showbag ' Competition
The Smith Family
The Music Bus
ABC Christmas Appeal
Are you eligible for Free Travel?
Sesame Street Circus Spectacular

It was fantastic to see over 20 families attend our free anxiety session last week run by “Calm Kidz”. The session provided parents with many strategies to support students at home and school. Staff members also attended the session to support consistency at school and home. The session linked really well with our school's current work on the “Zones of Regulation”.

Last week I was very excited to attend the Children’s University Graduation and present AFPS students with their certificates of achievement. It was amazing to see students in their gowns and hats and participate in the procession through the University grounds. These students have participated in learning opportunities outside of school hours supported by family members. A big thank you to Mrs Riewoldt for her ongoing support of this program.

Students are currently undertaking final year assessments. This includes PAT – Progressive Achievement Tests (Reading and Numeracy for Year 1-6 students), PIP’s – Performance Indicators in Primary Schools (testing for Prep students) and final KDCs - Kindergarten Development checks. This data will support teachers to make informed decisions linked with end of year report writing and assessments.

As we draw closer to summer we move into swimming carnivals and swimming lessons. I was able to attend the Inter School Swimming Carnival recently and witness some outstanding efforts from students and it was a pleasure to witness the encouraging support from all students and the “never give up” attitude. Next week also sees Prep – Year 2 students participate in their Swimming and Water Safety Program at Hobart Aquatic Centre, I would like to acknowledge that AFPS fully funds this program and is not a requirement from the DoE but a program we really value as a school.

Finally a big congratulations to a group of 5/6 boys who participated in the recent state final for the cricket T20 Blast. Their performance was outstanding, finishing a close second and just missing out on a trip to Melbourne to play on the MCG, hopefully they can go one better in 2020!

Travelling the world in the 2/3 Street

Our learning this term has focused on Asia. Students have discussed the importance of a passport and why it is needed to travel from one country to another. We've used our passports to travel to China and Vietnam in our whole class learning.

When we visited China we discussed some of the celebrations which are held there. One of the celebrations is Chinese New Year where Lion Dancers scare away evil spirits. Here are some of the Chinese Lion Dragon's the student drew.

On our visit to Vietnam, Pyper and Harvey tried on some traditional children's costumes and held some Silk Lanterns. The students have also been busy creating Vietnamese Artwork of a lady in a field near a pagoda.

Each student is busy researching a country in Asia, which they will present in a Powerpoint to the class over the coming weeks.

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2/3 Gallen

In 2/3 Gallen we have also been learning about the countries of Asia. We each picked a country and began our research.

We researched information about food, wildlife, celebrations, flags and traditional dress.

We then made information books full of our new discoveries.

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Early Childhood Swimming & Water Safety Program

Just a reminder that the early childhood Swimming & Water Safety Program for all students from Prep to Year 2 is fast approaching.

This program will be situated at the Hobart Aquatic Centre and will commence on Monday 25 November and conclude on Friday 29 November.

It is important that your child is dressed warmly and brings bathers, a towel and a swimming cap in a separate swimming bag each day.

Swimming caps are compulsory, the school will supply caps to students if they do not have one.

Special attention should be made to ensure no glass containers, glass bottles etc. are brought to the pool.

Full daily attendance is required, as each child is assessed and individual programs are developed.

The benefits of participation are many and with your support and encouragement, your child will develop swimming and water safety skills and have great fun during this experience.

You are invited to take the opportunity of observing your child’s progress at any time during the program. The Program timetable has been finalised and is attached.

Please note this program is an integral part of our school’s Health & Physical Education curriculum and it is assumed your child will attend for the full period. If swimming consent forms are not returned, your child will still be expected to attend the pool each day but will not have the opportunity to swim.

Please feel free to contact the school if you require any additional information or have any questions or concerns.

Early Childhood Swimming Program – Timetable 2019

Classes	Depart School	Swimming Session Time	Return to School
P/1 Dillon & 2 McArthur (5 Students)	9:00am	9:30am – 10:10am	10:50am
1/2 Kiddle & 2 McArthur (5 Students)	9:40am	10:10am – 10:50am	11:30am
1/2 Pearce & McArthur (5 Students)	10:20am	10:50am – 11:30am	12:10pm
P Parker & Gallen (5 Students)	11:00am	11:30am – 12:10pm	12:50pm
P/1 Rogers & Gallen (6 Students)	11:40am	12:10pm – 12:50pm	1:30pm
P Smith & 2 Morris (5 Students)	12:20pm	12:50pm – 1:30pm	2:10pm
1/2 Taylor & 2 Morris (5 Students)	1:00pm	1:30pm – 2:10pm	2:50pm

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Upcoming Events

Date	Time	Event
5 December	9:05am	Class Celebration Assembly Red & Blue Pod
9 December	10:30am	Kindergarten Orientation (2020 students)
10 December	2:00pm	Kinder to Prep 2020 transiton - Parent Information Session
12 December	3:30pm	Austins Ferry Carols Evening
16 December	9:00am	Lil Christmas Party
17 December	6:00pm - 9:00pm	Grade 6 Leavers Dinner Claremont RSL
19 December	1:30pm	Leavers Assembly
19 December		Final Day for Students

2020 School Levy Payments

Thank you to the families who have made levy payments and commenced payment plans for 2020. School levy payments contribute to the cost of your child's education program and includes stationery, learning materials, performances and excursions.

There is an expectation that levy payments will be finalised by the end of Term 1 - Friday 10 April 2020.

Payment of levies and charges can be made by cash or credit card at the school office, Bpay, Bpoint, Service Tasmania and Qkr!.

Please make time to speak with the School Business Manager, Rhonda Turner, if you are experiencing difficulty in affording the levy charge. A levy instalment plan including Centrepay is available to parents/carers who are unable to make a full payment. Instalment plans offer flexible, sensitively negotiated payment options to assist parents/carers to budget for this cost. Payments can be made weekly, fortnightly, monthly or at other agreed times after payment of an affordable deposit.

The Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) is available for parents/carers who meet the criteria of an income test. Families approved for STAS are not required to pay levies but may be required to pay other charges eg. Year 6 camp, leavers activities and clothing. If you feel that you may be eligible or if your personal circumstances have changed please see the shool office for an application form or download at: https://www.educaton.tas.gov.au/Documents/Student-Assistance-Scheme-Application-Form.pdf

The gross, taxable income test (STAS) for the purpose of assessing a family's eligibility for STAS in 2020 is as follows:

Taxable Income Table 2018 - 2019

Number of Dependent Children	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8*
Income Per Week #	$717	$825	$941	$1, 063	$1, 193	$1, 337	$1, 481	$1, 631
Annual Parental Income #	$37, 284	$42, 900	$48, 932	$55, 276	$62, 036	$69, 524	$77, 012	$84, 812

*For more than 8 children add $152 per week or $7, 904 per annum for each additional child

#Gross Taxable Income

Kindergarten 2020

Kindergarten Orientation Day is Monday 9th December

A reminder to parents of students entering Kindergarten in 2020:

As class placements are being finalised and Kindergarten Orientation day is being organised for December, can you please ensure all enrolment forms, paperwork etc. have been returned to the office as soon as possible.

If you live in area and have not yet enrolled your child for Kinder 2020, please contact the admin office on 6275 7222 as soon as possible.

Attendance Notifications

Under departmental policy, it is important to notify the school office when your child/ren are absent from school.

We have a few quick and easy ways for you to do this.

Call the school office - 6275 7222

Leave a message on the Absence Message Bank - 6275 7272

or send a short e-mail to austins.ferry.primary@education.tas.gov.au

Important Reminders

UPDATING STUDENT DETAILS

It is vital for the school office to have updated details for all students. In the event of a medical issue or emergency event this information is crucial in the care and response that we provide for your child/children. Please ensure to update information with the office staff as required: emergency contact details, phone numbers, address details and any changes to your childs' medical needs eg. asthma, anaphylaxis.

ABSENCES / ATTENDANCE

If your child is absent please notify the school office before 9:30am:

Leave a message on the answering machine 6275 7272
Speak to the office staff face to face
Call the office staff 6275 7222
Email: austins.ferry.primary@education.tas.gov.au
Via the web form: www.austins.ferry.primary@education.tas.gov.au
Submit details through the Schoolzine SZapp

We care about your child's safety and will text you if your child is absent unexplained.

CAR PARK SPEED LIMITS

Speed limits throughout the school are restricted to 10km. Please note that regardless of what time of day, if the gates are open there is someone here! Everyone's safety is important.

END OF DAY MESSAGES

Please notify the school office as early as possible and prior to 2:25pm if you need to get a message to your child/ren for the end of the day. Class notice bags are collected at 2:30pm and passing on messages after 2:30pm becomes quite difficult. We cannot guarantee messages will be received effectively after this time.

Christmas Carols @ Austins Ferry

You're invited to the 2nd annual

Carol's at Austins Ferry Primary School

Where: AFPS Courtyard
When: Thursday 12 December
Time: 3.30pm – 6.00pm

Each class will perform a carol at the top of the stairs outside the music room.

Please dress in your Christmas gear and celebrate the

Christmas cheer with us all @ AFPS.

Food and beverages will be available for purchase at various stalls.

The evening will include a visit by Santa and raise funds for the Claremont Fire

Brigade and construction of a hot house for the AFPS school garden.

Home Reading Club

Home_Reading_Club.pdf

Home_Reading_Club _pdf 300.18 KB

Austins Ferry Primary School Association Christmas Raffle

The School Association are seeking donations for the Christmas Raffle which will be drawn on Thursday 12 December 2019 at the Christmas Carol Event. If you are able to help please drop donations in to the school office or contact Rachel on 0498 625 452. Thank you to those who have already generously offered donations.

Raffle books will be sent home shortly to all families. Books will contain 10 tickets @ $1.00 each. Please return books either sold or unsold to the school office no later than Monday 9 December 2019. If you are able to sell more than 1 book please contact the school office 6275 7222.

Alternatively, raffle tickets are able to be purchased on the Qkr! app. Please ensure to add the buyer's name and contact number to your purchase.

Proceeds from the raffle will go directly to the building of a hot house for our kitchen/garden program. This program works towards encouraging students to grow and harvest produce that is used in their cooking lessons and works in partnership with the canteen and MONA 24 Carrot Kitchen Garden to provide seasonal, nutritious and healthy food options. The hot house will hopefully provide year round produce and will also protect our gardens from the local wildlife!

Brighton Show 'Design your Dream Showbag ' Competition

This year, the Brighton Show held a competition to encourage students to use their imagination and design their own "Dream Showbag".

Many classes entered this competition with the artwork being displayed at the Show. Some designs included: The Rainbow Twist Showbag, The Lolly Genius Showbag, The Crazy Showbag and the Café Time Showbag.

Congratulations to all children who entered and to the nine children who won places!

Thank you to The Brighton Agricultural Society for the prizes and for the free entry tickets they provided.

First Place: (Crunchy Showbag) Talia, Mitchell and Aaliyah

Second Place: (ZooDoo ticket)- Zoe, Kijah and Taylor

Third Place: (ribbon)- Bella, Noah and Hazel

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The Smith Family

Does your child need extra support at school?

Are you committed to your child’s education?

Do you have a health care card or pension concession card?

Join Joanna at Austins Ferry Primary School

Tuesday, 26 November 2019

9.15am to 10.15am

to find out more!

The Smith Family’s Learning for Life Scholarship program provides:

Programs to help support literacy and numeracy, as well as the transition to high school, mentoring programs and career aspiration programs
Access to a local Family Partnership Coordinator (Joanna) who can link families into services to increase their child’s engagement in education and help to address any issues their child is experiencing at school
Financial support in the form of a scholarship to help pay for the cost of education-related expenses.

** RSVP Joanna by Tuesday, 19 November 2019 for catering purposes (MORNING TEA provided!)**

Joanna Wiese
Ph: 0466 942 782
Email: Joanna.Wiese@thesmithfamily.com.au

We look forward to seeing you there so you can learn how our Scholarship program can help you and your children get the best out of their education

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The Music Bus

From the Music Bus...

New Guitar Books!
Introducing Guitar to the Max 1 and 2, the first two books in our
brand new series of guitar books!
Guitar to the Max follows our Music Bus guitarist Max (with a cool
new look) while he battles aliens from space who have invaded earth
and can only be defeated by the power of music!
As he and the students progress through their skills, they earn
levelled picks and defeat the evil space aliens. The storyline
and activities are presented in an engaging videogame style
and the expertly illustrated books will be printed in stunning
colour. Every page is full of brand new riffs, songs and skills to
learn all with awesome backing tracks that kids will love playing
along with.
There will be a transition period where students who are
currently on the Rock'n Guitar Books are welcome to continue
working on this book or to purchase one of the new books, but
we will not be stocking the Rock'n Guitar Books any longer.
If your child currently learns guitar on The Music Bus,
please phone our office on 1300 168 742 and speak to one
of our friendly office staff to purchase your book and your
child will have their book in their next lesson.

ABC Christmas Appeal

The ABC Giving Tree Appeal is Tasmania’s biggest Christmas charity, celebrating over 30 years of generosity from the community. Together, we have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts which are donated to disadvantaged and vulnerable people around the state throughout the holiday season.

This year, from 9 November through to 13 December, Austins Ferry Primary will be a 'Drop off Point' for the Christmas Giving Tree Appeal.

We will be happy to accept any donation you can offer. The appeal asks for donations to be new and unwrapped. The charity workers will match the donations to the needs of clients around the state and wrap the especially for the right person.

The charities are in particular need of gifts for boys of all ages, as well as gifts for teenagers and adults. Think about gifts that promote physical activity such as balls or cricket sets, or that might help to raise the self esteem of a young adult. Gift vouchers are also very welcome. We are also accepting non-perishable food items.

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Are you eligible for Free Travel?

Eligible students can receive free travel to & from school with Tasmania bus services.

To see if you are eligible, to apply for a students bus pass, or to renew your expired free travel entitlement, visit

www.transport.tas.gov.au/passenger/passengers/student_travel

Apply before 6 January 2020 and, if approved, you will receive your student bus pass for free travel before the start of the new school year.

If you already have a student bus pass for free travel and you're still eligible for free travel in 2020, you will be able to access your free travel entitlement with your existing card.

Sesame Street Circus Spectacular