9 June 2023

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Dear Families,

I would like to begin by congratulating Heidi Jones, who was successful in her application for the position of Acting Principal whilst I am on Long Service Leave. It certainly gives me great confidence knowing that our school is in such capable hands. There will be some further staffing adjustments in the near future, and these will be communicated with you, once confirmed.

Opportunities for parents / carers to discuss with staff their child’s learning will occur later in this term. Reports will be sent home in the coming fortnight and staff will be available for conversations on Tuesday 20th and 27th of June and Wednesday the 21st and 28th of June. Appointments will be available between 3:30 and 6:00pm. We encourage you and your child to attend and share learning and set learning goals for the second half of the year. We appreciate and value your role in this partnership.

Congratulations to our Interhigh Cross Country team for their competitive performance in Launceston last week. A special shout out to our Grade 7 Girls, who won their section.

Several of our students have been successful in pursuits outside of school. Well done to:

• Jarvis Hill: Australian junior record in game fishing – 128.70 kg Broadbill caught on 60kg gear!
• Tully Watts for being chosen to try out for selection in the AFL Tasmanian Devils U/16 Academy Squad.
• Nicole Mallinson: Equestrian success – Selected to represent Tasmania at the National Interschool Championship in Werribee, Victoria.
• Brodie Faulkner – Motocross - Brodie is currently in Georgia, USA, participating in a two week training camp. This is in preparation for the 2023 Australian Junior Championships which will be held in Darwin in July.

I would also like to congratulate Ben Larby who competed in the Division 1 All Schools Surfing Championship at Scamander on the 12th of May. Ben surfed extremely well in the individual and teams challenge in small but contestable conditions. Ben was the only student to represent St Helens District High this year so we hope to have more students keen to compete next year!

This week we sent home to families of students in Years 7-10 information on vaping. I have also included it in this newsletter as we are becoming increasingly aware of the dangers of vaping and its prevalence across the greater community. Please take some time to discuss this with your child.

This term we have seen an increase in the number of phones at school. A reminder that, as per policy in all government schools, phones must be ‘Off and Away’ on school premises. Phones can be handed into the office to ensure they are safe during school hours. Should your child have their phone out at school, you will be contacted and the phone will be confiscated and stored at the school office.

Our School Association and wonderful Op Shop staff are so very supportive of our school. A huge thank you for their financial support enabling the upgrade of our play spaces. Also, how wonderful do our kindergarten children look in their wet weather gear?

The ongoing practical support of school programs by our School Association, such as Bush Kinder, is greatly appreciated. I continue to encourage family and community members to consider being an active member of our School Association. Please contact Sam Terry at school if you can spare two hours a term and are able to get involved in progressing our school.

Finally, we are very excited to have some new and returning mentors working with our students this term. Keep an eye out on our Facebook page which will be showcasing some of the great activities being undertaken. If you are keen to be involved, please contact Stuart Lord here at school. An hour a week sure can make a huge difference!

Wishing you all well and see you when I am back for Term 4.
Anita Haley

School Calendar

VAPING WARNING

The following notice was sent home to parents earlier this week:

Dear Families,

The safety and wellbeing of our students is our highest priority. As you may be aware, there has been a rise in the number of children and young people vaping in the broader community, including on school premises.

Vaping is similar to smoking cigarettes, but without the use of tobacco. Instead, the electronic cigarettes (vapes) heat a liquid until it turns into an aerosol. This aerosol is then inhaled.

The aerosol is not water vapour but is made up of different chemicals. Some of these chemicals can be harmful for the lungs, brain development and general health. Often, vapes contain nicotine, which makes them very addictive.

In supporting the health and wellbeing of our learners, all government schools are designated smoke free, and vape free areas. Signage displaying this will be placed around the school property.

The Department is working closely with the Department of Health to ensure that staff, students, and families are educated on the health impacts of vaping. Resources and information are available from the link below.

I encourage you to take the time to talk to your children about vaping. To make it easier to start this conversation, I have included a Vaping: Information and advice for parents and carers fact sheet. Should you be worried about your child and vaping, support is available. Please contact myself or your child’s class teacher.

Thank you for your continuing support in ensuring the wellbeing of all our students.

Kind regards,
Anita Haley

SCHOOL ASSOCIATION NEWS

As part of Uncle Ryan Knight’s role as Aboriginal Education Worker, he runs a Bush Kinder program where our Kinder children are able to visit different locations within the school and learn about the land on which we live.

Ryan approached the School Association for funding towards some all-weather clothing which would allow the Kinder children to remain dry and warm during their exploratory play time with him.

The feedback has been wonderful, with many of the children now feeling confident to play amongst leaves, without the concern of getting their uniforms wet and dirty. The added layers of clothing have added another layer of fun and excitement to their Bush Kinder days.

A special thank you to the wonderful volunteers at the Op shop that make these projects possible and thank you to the public for shopping at the Association Op Shop. Your patronage is making a difference in the lives of so many children at our school.

Our Association has recently doubled its contribution towards our Breakfast Club. Making sure that around 400 children a week start the day with some food in their tummies and a bright smile from those that help prepare the toast every morning. They also contribute towards our mentor program, student success stories, gardening projects and our school newsletter. They have also committed funding to assist with the building of new toilet blocks in the school. We are grateful for their hard work and efforts in putting learners first.

Regards,
Sam Terry
School Business Manager

MAY NEWS FROM THE OP-SHOP

Another busy month at the School Op-Shop. The cold windy weather hasn’t stopped tourists or locals venturing into our lovely warm shop. Winter clothes are the most sort after items at the moment. I think some of the campers are not used to our fresh invigorating weather!

We held our Coronation Morning Tea which was a great success even though it was probably the wildest, coldest day. Consequently everyone was inside, not outside as we had hoped to be able to arrange. The food was awesome and company great. The day before we also did the same thing for staff at the school and they also really enjoyed and appreciated the experience as well. A cup of tea in a china cup and saucer really makes things special. We were able to send the Cancer Council a very generous donation because of these fundraisers. A big thanks to everyone that supported us. (Also to the Op-Shop Team that did all the home cooking).

The op-shop was also the beneficiary of a grant from the Bendigo Bank. We greatly appreciate this grant and it is being put to great use which we will inform you all of at a later date but if you pop into the shop you will be able to see the beginnings of our future plans. Our Costume Hire Service has begun to take off with people hiring costumes for various theme parties. (A large selection of kids’ costumes available as well.) So for a very nominal amount you can hire a costume, have a great night, and support the school at the same time.

Thank you to everyone for their donations to the op-shop in shop hours. Our hours are 10.00am to 3.00pm Monday to Friday and 10.00am to 2.00pm on Saturdays. Your donations and sales go to your school to fund projects for your children and grandchildren.

Regards,
Jenny Cecil

GRADE 3-6 VALUES CERTIFICATES

Congratulations and well done to the following grade 3-6 students who received values certificates in the 3-6 assembly held on the 25th May.

CANTEEN SPECIALS – TERM 2

SCHOOL PHOTOS – 26th & 27th June

Just a reminder that school photo days this year will be on Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th June.

Below is a copy of the online booking information flyer that students will be receiving in the next week.

Additional information from Leading Image School Photos:

• Parents who want to order Sibling Photos can use the same Access Key FFE45K9R.
• Sibling Photo orders must be done by 4:30pm the night before Photo Day so we can organise a list of sibling photos that need to be taken. Any sibling photos that have not been ordered before the cut-off will not be taken. Unfortunately, we cannot make any exceptions on the day.
• All students will have an individual photo taken on Photo Day regardless if they are ordering or not. Individual student ordering will stay open after Photo Day.
• Orders placed after we have printed the bulk of orders will be sent directly to parents and will incur a postage charge per order.

The timetable for photos should be done by the end of next week and will be posted on Facebook. Your child’s home group teacher and the school office will also have that information. Family photos will be taken during recess and lunchtimes.

GIRLS IN POWER

Report by Samvrtha and Hanisi

Only 30 students were selected from across Tasmania to take part in the Girls in Power workshops run by Hydro Tasmania last week. This 3-day workshop (free) is supported by Tasmanian Government, Entura, TasNetworks, Goldwind and ACNE Australia. Samvrtha and I were the lucky two to be selected from our school. The activities were engaging as we participated in the Drone and Turbinator activities, learnt about Electric Vehicles, visited the Cattle Hill Wind Farm and Poatina Station. We visited the Australian Maritime College and learnt about wave energy and the solar car challenge. We also had a chance to interact with 20 successful females from the Engineering industries. We thought it was an amazing experience.

Congratulations to Samvrtha. Samvrtha’s wind turbinator, made using recycled materials, won first place in this challenge.

9/10 LITERACY

Below, for you to enjoy, is the literary work of Jordan Ranson. Jordan produced this beautiful piece as part of our Year 9/10 narrative unit.

CBCA SHORT-LISTED BOOK AWARDS INITIATIVE

The photo below celebrates a group of our Year 5-6 students who have joined the CBCA Shadow Judging short listed book awards initiative. Students will read and discuss this year’s six shortlisted works of fiction for young readers. As a group, they will critique each text and decide collectively which book should take out the category award. This is one of our lead-ups to Book Week, which we celebrate every August.

From left are Dolly, Ava, Sam, Elliott and Stacey.

TASMANIAN PREMIER’S READING CHALLENGE IS STARTING SOON

SCHOOL STREAM APP

Just a reminder that this will be our final digital newsletter. School Stream is the App that we will be using for most of the communication with our families and will provide more instant and up-to-date notifications. Our Facebook platform will continue on as usual with information and photos of what’s happening at our school.

How to download the School Stream App

Use the QR code reader below to download the School Stream App

1. Go to the App Store and download ‘School Stream’ to your phone.
2. Open the app and type the school’s name into the search bar to load the school’s profile.
3. Make sure you agree to Push Notifications when prompted.

COMMUNITY EVENTS AND INFORMATION

AFTER SCHOOL CARE & VACATION CARE PROGRAM

INTRODUCTION TO HOUSEKEEPING COURSE

INTRODUCTION TO CAFÉ SERVICE COURSE

INTRODUCTION TO BARISTA SKILLS COURSE

NAVY CADETS