I would like to share some positive feedback I have received recently about our students who have been out in our community representing our school. A group of our students recently visited the Glenorchy Council Chambers and met with the Mayor, Bec Thomas. The councillors were extremely positive about our students and the way they represented our school with respect and manners! We have also had the DRILL Dance Company visiting each week as part of a community performance and 5/6 students have done a wonderful job engaging in the training in preparation for the performance at Montrose Bay High School.

Parent/Teacher Interviews

Interviews will take place in person or via phone on Tuesday 5 July and Wednesday 6 July. Time slots are filling up fast so please log into the school interviews website and secure your preferred time slot. Teachers are available both evenings up until 6:30pm. If you cannot make either evening, please contact the class teacher to negotiate and alternate time.

Courtyard works

This week fencing will go up in our courtyard in preparation for drainage and pipe works over the weekend. Please support us in using signed access points and we will work with contractors to ensure minimal impact.

School Association Meeting

Next Tuesday 14 June we will hold our Term 2 School Association meeting It would be fantastic to see some new faces join our team even if only for one meeting. As a school we value the expertise and experience of our community members who can engage in the association. The meetings are very supportive and allow for members to sit and listen or engage with suggestions and feedback. The meeting kicks off at 6:10pm in our kitchen/garden space.

Winter school uniform

A reminder to families and students now that the weather has cooled down that we have hoodies and beanies available for purchase from the school office. Students are permitted to wear non school jackets but these should only be worn over school jumpers in cooler conditions. Also a reminder that non school hats should stay at home as they are not permitted as part of our uniform.

Inter School Cross Country

This week saw the Inter School Carnival take place at Bayview College in Rokeby, the weather conditions were arctic however, our team performed at a high level and supported and cheered each other on. Mr Bailey was very complimentary of students efforts and was amazed by the resilience shown sitting in freezing conditions waiting for races to commence.

A reminder to families that mid-year reports will be distributed on:

• Tuesday 5 & Wednesday 6 July 2022 during parent/teacher interviews.
• 3/4F Nichols parent/teacher interviews held on Tuesday 28 & Wednesday 29 June. 
• 2A  Gallen/Florence parent/teacher interviews which will be held in Term 3.

The new look report will show your child’s learning achievement differently. A new 9-point visual scale replaces A-E ratings for students in Years 1 to 10 (and for Prep students at the end of the year).

The 9-point scale will show more specifically where your child’s learning achievement is against the expected standard for their year level.

There will be no teacher comments on the report. Parent/Teacher Interviews are a great opportunity to discuss how your child is progressing with their learning. 

For more information about the changes to reports:

• School Reports FAQs
• Understanding the 9-point scale
• Visit the Department of Education’s website at: Reporting - The Department of Education Tasmania[1]

[1] https://www.education.tas.gov.au/parents-carers/parent-fact-sheets/reporting/

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.

Encouragingly, the number of COVID-19 cases in our community are declining. This means that we can now start gradually reintroducing activities – such as whole school assemblies indoors – in a COVID-safe way.

We are excited to welcome back parents and carers at assemblies. All adults must physically distance where practical and there will be a designated space for parents and carers, separate to students and staff.

All adults, as well as secondary school students, will need to wear face masks. Primary school students can wear a face mask if they choose.

Launching into Learning (LiL) caps have also been removed and we’re excited to welcome back more families to our LiL sessions. A reminder that adults will need to wear face masks when indoors.

Please know that sometimes circumstances may change quickly. We will let families know of any changes and we appreciate your flexibility if activities are cancelled or modified at short notice.

An important reminder, especially as we move closer to cold and flu season, to please continue to stay at home if unwell.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our school office on 6275 7222.

For more information about COVID-19, please visit the Tasmanian Government Coronavirus website or contact the Tasmanian Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738, or Department of Education COVID-19 Support Hotline at COVID19support@education.tas.gov.au or on 1800 816 057.

If you need support translating or interpreting this information, contact the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450.

This excursion earned Children’s University students 1 & 1/2 hours towards their passport, with the option to complete a learning destination diary entry to earn an additional hour of learning!

Children’s University is about giving up your time to learn something new - sports, the museum, working in the canteen, going to nursing homes and learning about something new.

On Monday 30 May we went to the Glenorchy City Council. We met the Glenorchy Mayor. We learned about the job the Mayor does. It was interesting. We were told about how the Council is run and what they pay for.

Eliza

We learned about the big new park they are building in Giblin’s Reserve. We also learned that they have meetings once per month and sit around the table and have a meeting.  The council looks after parks, rubbish, and once the tip is full, they will close it.

Jaida

We were lucky to visit the Glenorchy Library for National Simultaneous Story Time and listen to the Mayor read out a story and win a book for the school. We love getting together with the Prep/1 class and our Buddies to read to each other and have a play afternoon together. We are proud to win certificates for doing our Home Reading.

In Prep/1 King we have been exploring rhyme and what an exciting time it has been! The students have thoroughly enjoyed hearing and noticing rhyming words and have begun creating their own rhymes. As a class we created our own rhyming book which we now proudly display in our classroom. It is filled with wonderfully thought-out rhyming sentences and pictures which the students developed. As a class we have also been noticing word families such as the ‘at’, ‘an’ and ‘in’ family. These word families have helped us hear rhythm and sound patterns in words. We have noticed that we can make many different words by just changing what letter goes before the word family. We have really enjoyed reading and looking at books that have a focus on rhyme too, with some of our favourites being Oi Frog by Kes Gray and Mr. McGee and the Biting Flea by Pamela Allen. 

We have used school hoodies, polo tops and polar fleeces available for purchase.  If you would like to purchase any items, please see Brandie at the AFPS Office.

-              Hoodies $20 (Sizes 4-16/XS)

-              Polar fleece $15 (Sizes 4-16/XS)

-              Polo tops $10  (Various sizes)

-              Limit of one hoodie and one polar fleece per student