Our staff and students have been dynamic in their approach to learning over the past few weeks and we are very aware that the end of year craziness is fast approaching so teaching and learning has been at the fore front! Many programs are taking place in our school to support and engage students which has been exciting to see, some of these include - Ditto Program, Remembrance Day, Art Exhibition, Growing Up Program and Swim and Water Safety.

As we move into the second half of Term 4 we look forward to sharing student achievements with our community through a variety of events. A vital part of this process is student reporting, the end of year reports will be sent out on Monday 14 December and they will include 2021 class placements. For students who require extra support transitioning into new classes with new teachers this process will occur earlier over coming weeks.

Art Exhibition

Mr Winckel presented our inaugural stand-alone Art Exhibition last week, this was a huge success with so much outstanding work on display by all of our classes. The art work had an Asian theme linked with our Asia/Pacific cross curricular focus in Term 4. A big thank you to Mr Winckel and Art students for organising this event and also to families who visited.

Student Wellbeing Survey Results

Our Year 4-6 students participated in this survey in late Term 2 after we were forced to postpone in Term 1 due to COVID-19. The results have now been processed and returned to schools. Our results across all grades indicated growth across all areas and reflects the positive work of staff across our school. Below is a snapshot of the data reflecting growth in our school and students.

We are always interested in hearing our student’s views about their social and emotional wellbeing and their experiences in and out of school.

The results from the Student Wellbeing Survey 2020 provide our school with wellbeing data to support our school improvement planning.

96% of our students from Years 4 - 6 completed the Survey in September 2020. From the survey we know:

Students have strong connections with important adults at school and a very strong sense of friendship and social support from their peers.

The data confirms our continuing commitment to work on regulating emotions (The Zones of Regulation) and supporting students to be actively involved in learning.

We will continue to build on these strengths and include student voice in the planning for issues and challenges they identify to their wellbeing.

The Student Wellbeing Survey will be conducted again in 2021.

Children's Week Celebrations

As part of Children’s Week celebrations we nominated 6 outstanding students to receive recognition as part of the Glenorchy City Council Safer Communities Young People Awards. These 6 students were recognised for consistently demonstrating our school values and being positive contributors to our school community.

This year’s students received a Keys to Kindness art kit that included a stencil mosaic for them to complete. Their finished pieces will be displayed a part of a larger kindness mural in the city of Glenorchy. 

Congratulations to Riley Hallam, Emmi Stokman, Hayley Smith, Evan Shaw, Saveeni Kularathne and Hanna Siji for being nominated for their award.

UTAS Pre-Service Teachers

Over the past 4 weeks we have had Matthew and Brianna completing their HPE in school practicum it has been wonderful to see their skills grow and support students in our school. Both University students have been involved in the swim program for last 2 weeks which has been fantastic for our students. We wish both teachers all the best as they begin their teaching career in future years.

Year 3-5 Swim and Water Safety Program

Our students enjoyed stunning weather at the pool last week which supported teaching and learning for all involved in the program, however early this week the tables turned with thunder storms and torrential rain! With summer weather and holidays approaching it is timely for students to be involved in stroke development and water safety. We thank Mr Bailey and all the swim teachers for their organisation and expertise. 

Bike Track Progress

Our new bike track is due for completion this week! Students have been eagerly monitoring the progress from behind the flags for several weeks, the excitement levels are through the roof! We hope to have students riding on the track early next week and encourage families to use the facility outside of school hours. It will be really important that our community look after the new facility so all can enjoy for years to come.

Kind regards

Tim Nicholas

Principal

In Science this term we have been learning about materials and their properties. We looked at many different types of gloves and their uses. We discussed why certain materials are used for different purposes.

The gardening glove has sharp plastic claws on it to help with digging. - Valencia

The snow glove helps your hands keep warm because it has thick fabric inside and it’s waterproof. - Aleena 

The plastic glove is used for the dentist so they don’t get sick. It’s thin so it is easier to use than a thick one. - Ethan

The red cleaning glove is made of thick plastic so you don’t get chemicals on you they just drip off. – Godric

The Iron Man gloves are just for playing. – Riley

We also had a challenge to see who could build the strongest bridge using different materials. We had to work together in teams to make a bridge that could cross an A4 piece of paper. Some of our bridges managed to hold over 1kg.

KISS & DROP

A friendly reminder that the school 'Kiss & Drop' zone is not for car parking - please do not leave your vehicle unattended in this zone.

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.

CANTEEN & QKR!

Please remember to place your canteen lunch orders through Qkr! prior to the 8:45am deadline.

HOME READING CLUB

2020 Christmas Raffle

The School Association are currently fundraising to support student learning programs including upgrading equipment in the Early Learning Centre and the purchase of Literacy and Numeracy resources for all students across our school.

The School Association thank the many families that have returned raffle books and to those that have sold multiple books for the 2020 Christmas Raffle. 

Please see updated prize list below.

Raffle books (10 tickets per book @ $1.00 each) will be sent home to all families soon.  Please return the books, either sold or unsold, to the school office no later than Tuesday 8 December 2020.  The raffle will be drawn on Wednesday 9 December at the Years 3-6 Awards Assembly.

A huge thank you to all the generous donors and sponsors! 

Krispy Kreme Fundraiser - now closed   

A huge thank you to all families, friends, staff and community members who have supported this extremely successful fundraiser.  Orders have by far exceeded our expectations and the School Association have made a profit of over $2500.00!

Collection of orders from the school will be on Wednesday 2 December 2020 from 2:30pm.                                  

The Department of Education recently announced that they would be expanding the Student Assistance Scheme for 2021.

Parents who have a current concession card as listed below can apply for dependent students for assistance under the STAS:

• Services Australia - Centrelink Health Care Card
• Services Australia - Centrelink Low Income Health Care Card
• Services Australia - Pensioner Concession Card or
• Department of Veteran Affairs - Pensioner Concession Card

Please note that if you are already receiving student assistance you do not need to complete a form.

For 2021 a new on-line form has been developed to assist withh processing applications for new applicants.

The online form can be completed here: https://stasonlinesubmission.education.tas.gov.au/

Once a validated form is completed the Deparmtent of Education will confirm the outcome of your application in writing, this process takes approximately 14 days.

We understand this online option may not be possible for all families, so if you require a hard copy form please contact the school office or the Financial Assistance Unit on stas@education.tas.gov.au or 1800 827 077.