At Austins Ferry Primary School our endeavour is always to provide a positive and happy learning environment, both socially and academically, for all of our students. Our student values at AFPS are: Aspiration, Courage, Respect and Growth. Over the course of the year we have talked with our students about the focus on choosing “kind”. This means that we all think about what we say before we say it, we choose appropriate actions when we are feeling in the blue, yellow or red zone, and we communicate our worries to adults in the school or at home. It is always fabulous when students are able to articulate what is happening for them at school. Our message to students continues to be – tell someone. This can be the duty teacher, their class teacher, or senior staff. We will always listen and support students. Please do not hesitate to communicate with us if you have any questions.

This year our department introduced a new Student Behaviour Management Policy. The aim of the new policy is to ensure all schools have a consistent approach to creating and maintaining safe, supportive, positive and inclusive environments where all students can engage in their learning with confidence and optimism. This is done by using a range of ways to: 

• promote respectful relationships and positive behaviour;
• prevent and respond to unacceptable behaviour, which includes discrimination, harassment and bullying.

Ensuring that students are safe and free from discrimination, harassment and bullying is a shared responsibility between school staff, parents and carers, students and the community. 

Under the new policy there is a consistent national definition of bullying, what it is and what it is not: 

“Bullying is an ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social and/or psychological harm. 

Bullying can involve an individual or a group misusing their power, or perceived power, over one or more persons who feel unable to stop it from happening. 

Bullying can happen in person or online [cyber bullying], via various digital platforms and devices and it can be obvious (overt) or hidden (covert). 

Bullying behaviour is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time (for example, through sharing of digital records). 

Bullying of any form or for any reason can have immediate, medium and long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders. 

Single incidents and conflict or fights between equals, whether in person or online, are not defined as bullying.” 

Often the word bully is used for inappropriate, aggressive, or unkind behaviours that are the result of disagreements, conflict or reactions to games, activities and events. These behaviours are not bullying behaviours, so we need to be careful how we use label these incidents. Unfortunately, things will happen in a school of 500 students. It is inevitable.

Our aim has been and continues to be supporting students. We treat each incident as a learning experience for students. We use restorative conversations and consequences as needed. Just like we learn in subject areas; we also need to learn appropriate behaviours and reactions from our social and behavioural mistakes. For more information about the DECYP Student Behaviour Management Policy visit: Staying Safe - Department for Education, Children and Young People (decyp.tas.gov.au) 

2024 Class Placements

We are still working on our class structures for 2024. We hope to have this finalised by Friday. Communication regarding class structures will be forthcoming as soon as we have it all in place.

Year 6 Transition 

Year 6 events are fast approaching. Staff are working on the final details to celebrate the end of year for our leaving students. It can be a time where our Year 6 students have many different feelings about leaving primary school and moving onto high school. We will support them in this and as always, please keep in contact if there are things we may need to know to best support the transition.

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.

On Monday 6 November, select Year 3-6 students attended the division D SPSSA swimming carnival. Austins Ferry were well represented, and students tried their best in all events. Overall, our school finished fourth which is an amazing effort. Thanks to Mr Coppleman, Mr Perry and Kylie who helped organise students into their events on the day. 

Our class have had some wonderful incursions and excursions in 2023 with more exciting outings planned for Term 4. At the end of Term 3 we visited TMAG. Here is what some of the students had to say:

“My favourite part was when we went to the Antarctic bit. We got to put our hands on the ice.” Amelia

“I really liked how we could open some of the drawers and touch the objects inside.” Jackson

“I want to go back in the school holidays!” Addison

This term has started off very well. Students are focused and have started off the term with positive attitudes. We have been looking at explanation text in English where students will be writing their own in the next few weeks. During maths we have been looking at split method division as well as short division, multiplication will follow this.

Our unit this term for inquiry is based around Sustainability. We have been watching the ABC series, “The War on Waste”. This has been a huge eye opener for students seeing how much waste in created in Australia. We are currently designing posters or booklets that give tips on how to be more sustainable at home. We will send them home when they are finished.

At the beginning of the term during Japanese the students made Sakura flowers and ate biscuits to celebrate the beginning of spring. 

In 5/6 West we have been developing our Mathematical understand and problem-solving skills through working in teams to solve numeracy puzzles. It was great to see the teamwork on display throughout the activity, and students apply their mathematical thinking to solve these.

Congratulations to our 5/6 Basketball team this weekend who competed in the primary tournament. Thanks to all of our coaches, refs, officials and families for making it such a brilliant weekend for our kids. Big thank you to Josh Bailey, Alanah Duggan, Mr Coppleman and former students Levi and Noah Duggan for organising, coaching and officiating us all so well. Keep a look out for more Basketball opportunities for our students moving forward.