As we draw closer to the end of Term 2 and teachers finalise student reports it has been very pleasing to see the progress students have made in their learning, this is reflected in their results which I have read in progress reports. Many teachers are discussing improvements with students and reflecting on the achievement of goals in the first half of the year.

As a staff and school, we continue to work through some relief and sickness challenges and thank parents for their support of following COVID guidelines and supporting sickness of students in general.

Parent/Teacher Interviews

Interviews will take place in person or via phone on Tuesday 5 July and Wednesday 6 July. Remember if you have children in Mr Nichols class, they will take place the week before. 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 an alternate time.

Student reports

Prep - Year 6 students will receive their mid-year reports prior to parent/teacher interviews. As parents/carers enter the POD or learning space senior staff will have reports available to collect and view before you speak with the class teacher. For those parents who can’t make a meeting, student report’s will be sent home on the last day of Term.

COVID update

From Monday 27 June 2022, face masks will no longer be mandatory in schools or Child and Family Learning Centres (CFLCs). This is because of reduced COVID-19 cases in our community. Please see further correspondence later in this newsletter for more details.

School Association

It was a great opportunity recently to meet with our School Association group.  We discussed many projects happening across the school and put in place a calendar to support fundraising and whole school events. The SA have been very generous with time, money and support and we continue to foster a fantastic relationship with the group! We will meet again in Term 3 and encourage more community members to be involved.

Public Health has advised that from Monday 27 June 2022, face masks are no longer mandatory in schools and Child and Family Learning Centres. This is because of reduced COVID-19 cases in our community.

It’s important to continue to:

• stay at home if unwell, and get tested
• practise COVID-safe behaviours such as frequent handwashing and sanitising
• be up to date with your COVID-19 vaccinations.

Students, staff and visitors are supported to continue to wear face masks if they choose to. Face masks are still available at our school if you need them.

When face masks are required

If you’re a close contact, you are still required to wear a face mask indoors as per current Public Health advice.

From time-to-time our school might identify activities or situations where masks are required to be worn. We ask for your support when this happens and know that it is in the best interests of our students, staff and our school.

Our staff will continue to wear masks when working closely with students who are vulnerable to COVID-19.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us directly to discuss.

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.

On Monday 6 June 2022, we were privileged to have Mayor Bec Thomas visit Austins Ferry Primary School.  The Mayor met with our Student Voice Team (SVT) first, and then with all Year 5/6 students.

The SVT were interested in how the work of the Council might be similar to their roles. They learned that there are similarities in the following areas:

1. members are nominated and voted into their positions.
2. they responsible for listening to the voice of the people and trying to represent their needs and interests
3. they look for ways to improve the places where they work/learn/play
4. they need to work as a team and be united

The students from years 5/6 paid careful attention as the Mayor shared what her role involved and outlined the many responsibilities of the Glenorchy City Council. Students then used this information to successfully complete a quiz asking them to choose which events, services and infrastructure the Council was responsible for.  Students had an opportunity to ask Mayor Thomas questions, including:

• the types of parks and playgrounds that the Council are building or upgrading,
• the difficult parts of her job,
• and why she wanted to become the Mayor
  
  

This term in 5-6 Perry we have had the privilege of participating in the kitchen/garden program. It has been a very enlightening time with students learning about garden craft, improving their cooking skills, trying new foods and learning about plants in our garden.

Some of the plants we have been learning about are kale, blue borage, pumpkin among others. The students have been involved in composting, collecting eggs, weeding and other general garden tasks.

We have also been researching endemic Tasmanian edible plants such as Pig Face (Carpobrotus Rossi), Lilly Pilly, (Acmena Smithii), Native Raspberry (Rubus Parvifolius), Native Pepper (Tasmannia Lanceolata) and Water Ribbons (Triglochin Procera).

Some of the research topics included what climate they are commonly found in, what parts of Tasmania they commonly grow in, characteristics of the plant along with recipes and dishes that the plant could be used in.

This term in 3/4 Riseley we have been learning to ask questions about day and night. We had a lot of questions about the earth, sun, and moon and how it all works. We have been documenting our questions and have been using different resources to research our wonderings, bringing all out information together.

In other news, on the 16 June 2022, our class went on our first excursion for the year. We visited the Cenotaph and learned about the significance of the area. We also embarked on the Soldiers Memorial Avenue and took some time to read the plaques dedicated to the soldiers who died in World War 1.

Premier's Reading Challenge is being held throughout Term 2 and AFPS is encouraging all students to participate. The Challenge is not a competition but a way to support students to develop a love of reading for life. Students are invited to read 10 books in 10 weeks. There will be opportunities for students to read at school through the classroom reading program, but students are also encouraged to do extra reading at home. There will be a Reading Log provided for students to record the books they have read, which will need to be signed by an adult once the reading has been completed. Please talk to your childs teacher or find out more by visiting the following website: www.premiersreadingchallenge.tas.gov.au