Hard to believe but this is our last newsletter for Term 1! Staff and students have certainly engaged in learning goals throughout the term and are achieving personal growth and aspiration. As we begin to welcome our community back on site with COVID restrictions easing it has been fantastic to see whole school events occurring again. As we move towards the Easter break and Term 1 holidays I wish all of our families a safe and enjoyable time.

Bullying “No Way”

Our school recognised Bullying “No Way” day last Friday with a whole school event. Students all received an orange ribbon and wrote a pledge on the ribbon to support anti bullying, these ribbons were all placed on the courtyard fence as a symbol of our schools’ commitment.

Values Shop

As part of our Positive Behaviour Support program our Values Voucher Shop will be open again next Wednesday. Students will have the opportunity to spend their vouchers and purchase experiences or toys/stationery etc. These vouchers contribute to our whole school policy of promoting our school values of Respect, Growth, Courage and Aspiration.

Term 1 Reporting

Parent/teacher conversations are in full swing; beginning Monday 15 March until the end of Term 1 class teachers will make contact with all parent’s/carers via phone/in person/video to have a conversation on student progress. Feedback thus far has been very positive with parents/carers expressing the personal nature of the conversations has been a positive.

Easter Raffle + Free Dress Day

Our School Association team are supporting an Easter Raffle again in 2021.  Raffle books have already been sent home with students so please contact the office if you did not receive one or would like more. To support this raffle our Student Voice Team have organised a free dress day this Thursday 25 March for Kinder students and Friday 26 March for Prep-6 students.

School Association

I would like to thank those parents/carers and community members who attended our AGM and general meeting last Tuesday evening, some fantastic discussions were had and planning is well underway for many exciting events in 2021. Our Association will be made up of the following members

Chairperson– Krystal Grundy

Secretary – Rachel Lodge

Treasurer – Geoff Lucas

Deputy Chairperson – James Ayers

Committee members

Kat Dawson

Taylor Daly

Nikki Mann

Deb Westerhof 

Term 1 holiday break

Thursday April 1 is a student free day.  Teachers will be undertaking moderation activities on site @ AFPS and will be joined by Windermere Primary and Kingston Primary teachers. Next Wednesday the 31 March is the last day for students for Term 1. They will return to school on Wednesday 21 April.

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.

KISS & DROP

Some key ordering dates:

All INDIVIDUAL orders must be in by 4:30pm Friday, 14 May. 

All FAMILY orders must be in by 4:30pm Wednesday 5 May. 

Family Orders will not be allowed after this time.  This enables us to produce a family report for you on photo day so you will know which families need photos. Any family who misses the family cutoff but wishes to still have a photo taken will incur a $20 late fee and they will be able to order for this photo through our second chance system.  So please remind parents leading up to photo day of these timelines!

By going online, there is no provision of cash. Parents will receive an email confirming their order, so all orders and payments are trackable.

If you would like assistance with this new online ordering system please contact the school office.

Prep Park/Duncan have had a very positive and exciting start to 2021!

We have been practising our speaking and listening skills by sharing information about special items from home, developing our counting and number recognition with maths dice games and focusing on our school values by identifying times when we have shown courage.

In Prep Dillon we have had a great start to the school year! We have settled into class routines and love doing rotations for Literacy!

In rotations we have been focusing on letter sounds, handwriting, reading and getting to know each other!

Have a look at some of the work we have been doing in our groups!

$6 Easter Lunch Special  - Wednesday 31 March  

This will be the only lunch option available on the day.

Must be pre-ordered (not available to purchase on the day)

Counter sales available for snacks/drinks only. 

Fish burger – crumbed fish fillet, lettuce, cheese, cucumber, aioli in a bun, mini hot cross bun, fruit box & Easter treat

Available for order on Qkr!   All lunches must be pre-ordered (cash or Qkr!) and will close @ 12:00pm on Monday 29 March 2021.

Counter sales for recess and lunch.

WORLD SLEEP DAY 19 MARCH 2021

SLEEP WELL TO LEARN WELL

Did you know that most of us spend 30% of our lifetime sleeping!

Just like your phone, your body and mind need to be recharged each day-with a good night of sleep!

When we sleep our bodies have time to repair and grow. This helps us manage our mental health, helps us learn better, boosts our immune system and improves our memory!

How much sleep do we need?

Primary school aged children: 9-11 hours

High School and College age: 8-10 hours

What happens If I don’t get enough sleep?

When we don't get enough sleep we can be more irritable, moody, aggressive, restless, impulsive, have more accidents when driving, run the risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

School children may get lower grades at school, have poor memory, have trouble with their mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing and impact on the mental health of others around them.

Tips for getting a good night sleep:

• Exercising during the day will help you deal with stress and anxiety and will help your body burn up energy making it easier for you to fall and stay asleep over night
• If you get into the habit of sleeping during the day, even for a short while, you may start to shift your body clock. For the same reason, avoid having very late nights and long sleep-ins at the weekend
• During the evening, give your body plenty of time to digest a meal. A heavy meal late on or close to bedtime is hard for your stomach to deal with
• The last hour before bed is the most important hour of all. Your body is naturally getting ready to sleep with the release of melatonin, you are probably yawning, and your muscles are beginning to relax. Switch off the computer, the TV, the iPad, and don’t use your mobile phone as the light that comes from their screens can interfere with the production of the sleep hormone (melatonin) and stop you falling asleep
• Try Journaling, reading or mindfulness breathing exercises instead to help you relax and switch off your mind before bed.
• Keep as close to a regular bedtime and waking up time as possible –Even on the weekends & school holidays! It helps to ‘set’ your body clock and maintain a good sleep routine.

If you can establish good sleep habits and a consistent with a sleep routine, you should soon find that you are waking in the morning feeling more refreshed. 

If you are concerned about yours or your child's sleep habits, contact your School Health Nurse via the office. You can also visit www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au for fact sheets and resources.

Nurse Tayla