Since the last newsletter, we had a visit by members of a Parliamentary Inquiry from Western Australia investigating our School Lunch program. There was very positive feedback from them about the feeling at the school and the positive engagement from our students in conversations about the lunch program. We have certainly seen positive impact from this program, which provides free cooked lunches for students on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This is in addition to our breakfast program, which provides bacon and egg sandwiches, pikelets or toasted sandwiches every day from 8 am. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff and student volunteers who make these programs possible. Programs like these are only possible because of the excellent support they get from staff and student volunteers as well as the School Food Matters team.

This week, our HPE team put together a positive and engaging Athletics Carnival. Events span traditional track and field activities, as well as fun activities like an egg and spoon race and the brand new, and very popular, gum boot throwing competition. We thank all parents and students for their flexibility in dealing with the postponement of the second day due to weather. After this change, we were able to complete all the activities (particularly important for those who have now qualified to take part in the inter-school carnival). While on the topic of flexibility, I would also like to that you all for dealing with the changes to arrangements for Friday afternoon in light of the now cancelled stop-work action. The decisions around actions such as this, and any resulting school closure, are not taken at the school level and we appreciate your support in adapting to changes as events unfold.

A reminder to please make a note in your calendar for our Meet and Greet, which will run from 3-5 pm on Monday the 20^th March. This will be an opportunity to meet teachers and discuss how students have started the year, enjoy a BBQ and other food prepared by our Food classes, and we look forward to seeing you then.

Stuart Lord

Tuesday 14th March

• Newsletter issued

Wednesday 15th - Monday 27th March

• NAPLAN

Monday 20th March

• Meet and Greet BBQ 3-5pm

Monday 20th - Friday 26th March

• Harmony Week

Monday 27th March

• Reclink AFL 9s
• Newsletter issued

The term is flying by - it is hard to believe we are reaching the end of Week 5!  We have had a really busy start to the year and it has been great to see how well students have settled back in to school.

We recently had our first values assembly and it was great to be able to celebrate our first round of values champions. Well done to Jenarlee Brittain, Jordan White, Bizi Reay, Noah Strong, Payton Salter, Max Woolford, Angel Green, Max Doyle, Chloe Oates, Rhys Hetherington, Thomas Bignall, Matilda Strong, Jazmyn Bomford and Azalea Bennett who were all recognised for respecting their learning time by “getting sorted, getting settled and getting started”. 

This fortnight our values focus has been on respecting each other by “choosing our words”. In our values assembly I spoke to students about the power that our words can have and that we can use our words to build people up and bring positivity into our school. We discussed the importance of using our words to ensure that we are not hurting others by using words that are inappropriate for school, hurtful, discriminatory or unnecessary. In year groups we have also discussed that it is up to all of us to decide if we need to say things out loud or if they are thoughts better off to be kept in our heads. We did not have a values assembly this week due to our athletics carnival but look forward to celebrating two rounds of values champions in our week 7 assembly.

Our Athletics Carnival this week was a fantastic showcase of our school values and culture. I was especially proud of the many students who displayed our value of courage by entering events that they may not have been that confident with but giving it their best go. I was also incredibly impressed by the sportsmanship that was on display with students cheering each other on and even running alongside their peers to encourage them to reach the end of some of our longer races. School carnivals are a great opportunity for us all to build relationships and to have fun in a different environment to our traditional classrooms, this fun atmosphere was especially evident on the dancefloor that spontaneously began next to the track, it was great to see the smiles on students faces as they realised some of the hidden talents of certain staff members!

I look forward to seeing as many families as possible at our Meet and Greet event after school on the 20^th March. This will be a valuable opportunity for families and teachers to connect and communicate to ensure we are all working together to maximise the learning outcomes of students.

In Partnership,

Ali Walker

Assistant Principal (Wellbeing for Learning)

On Monday 20^th March we will be holding our Term 1 Meet and Greet from 3-5 pm.  Parents and families will have the opportunity to meet staff and enjoy some food in the process. Our Prefects will be cooking a sausage sizzle on the barbeque (vegetarian option available) and our Foods classes have created a range of different dishes including: 

• Grade 7 - Quiche (Gluten Free option)
• Grade 8 - Choc slice
• Grades 9/10 - Sausage rolls with tomato sauce, Pizza scrolls
• Grades 11/12 – Orange and almond cake (Gluten and Dairy Free)

Some of our hospitality students will also be on hand to demonstrate their Barista skills, making coffees and hot chocolates for our guests.

There will also be the opportunity to visit your child’s grade block to view some of the learning that has been completed so far.

RSVP by Friday 17th March on 62617800.

If you wish to discuss this event or any other aspect of your child’s education, then please contact the school.

Students have started this year in a new environment (Science Hub) making adjustments to the new classrooms they are in. No longer are they situated in mostly the same classroom for most of their lessons with their lockers inside the classrooms. The structure of the day has also changed consisting of 6 x 50 minute lessons. Students need to be prepared with their workbooks for both lessons at the end of each break. This has been a learning curve with students improving every week.

Being Prepared and Prompt

The focus for Year 8 for weeks 6 to 8 is being prepared for class (pen and workbook) and being prompt. Teachers will be ticking students off on these two attributes each lesson. Every 20 ticks, students will receive a small prize. The top students at the end of week 8 will be invited to participate in a bigger reward as a way of congratulating them. We invite parents to ask their students about the reward program and their progress.

Maths

In Grade 8 Maths we are focusing on developing our ‘number skills’. We have been playing with negative and positive numbers and learning our order of operations. Students have attempted the challenge to see if they can find the sum 1-100 using 4 ‘4’’s and different order of operations.

Science

In Grade 8 Science we are “focusing” on the world of the microscopic – cells. We have been learning microscopes: different types, how to use a microscope, the names of the different parts as well as how to focus on low and high power. Students are being introduced to the world of the cell, the basic organelles (parts) and the different types of cells and their functions.

Craft

Grade 8 craft started the year off exploring pom pom making and have recently moved onto paper making. Last lesson, the class made the frames required and this week they have started to experiment with paper making by including fabric to add additional texture and patterns.

Food Technologies

Students have been continuing exploring their roles as Food Designers by creating a new food product to promote assigned children’s movies. In the kitchen we have been making various movie friendly snack foods. This week was curry puffs.

The kitchen garden space is up and running again this year, and after some challenging summer weather, we are looking for a few donations to help improve our soil quality, make some repairs, and add lots of love into our space. Students have been tasked with designing and producing a garden improvement of their choice, so any donations will be available directly for student use.

We are seeking the following donations. Open packets and containers are more than welcome.

• Seeds
• Mulch
• Potting mix, soil improvers/fertilisers, garden nutrients
• Egg cartons
• Bird netting (some holes are fine)
• Old tools – pliers, screwdrivers, secateurs etc.
• Garden stakes/star pickets
• Trellises
• Hose fittings
• Lengths of fencing wire
• Assorted PVC pipe and pipe fittings (to construct wicking beds)
• Twine
• Lengths of recycled timber
• Bath tubs, crates or water tanks that could be repurposed as a garden bed
• Roofing iron (some screw holes or small cuts are fine)

If you aren’t sure whether your donation is suitable, please contact lauren.howard@decyp.tas.gov.au to confirm.

Term 3

Tuesday 25th July - Friday 29th September

Term 4

Monday 16th October - Thursday 21st December